Jaden's gentle gaze, like the warmest afternoon sun, fell evenly and impartially on the three girls beside him.
Marinette was in a sweet, half-dreamy daze.
Her entire world seemed to blur into a vague background, the only clear focus being the soft profile of the young man in front of her, and his dark eyes that seemed to contain a sea of stars.
Alya, on the other hand, was looking down, seemingly concentrating on playing cat's cradle with Manon, but in her heart, an unknown, sweet yet painful storm was raging.
Those dreams about Mr. Information, like the most stubborn vines, wrapped tighter and tighter around her heart, making it difficult for her to breathe.
Just in this atmosphere, where everyone harbored their own thoughts yet was strangely harmonious, Jaden's phone suddenly buzzed with a slight vibration in his pocket.
This vibration, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly broke the tranquility.
Jaden took out his phone, lit up the screen, and saw the 'warning' text message Nathan had just sent.
A helpless yet slightly amused curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.
He looked up, his gaze sweeping past the playing girls in front of him, and sure enough, at the end of a nearby tree-lined path, a familiar figure was walking quickly towards them with a brilliant smile, like an explorer who had discovered a new continent.
He lowered his head and quickly typed a message on the screen to reply: [Is it... a bit too late to remind me now?]
As soon as the message was successfully sent, the blonde, vibrant figure had already arrived in front of them.
"Waaah—!" Rose exclaimed in an exaggerated, surprised tone.
Her bright, big eyes widened, as if she had truly seen an incredible miracle, "Jaden! Marinette! Alya! And... this cute little angel!"
Her gaze fell on Manon, and a smile so sweet it almost overflowed with honey appeared on her face, "I never expected to meet you all here! What a coincidence!"
Her joyful demeanor was so sincere, so... seamless.
Jaden looked at her, a gentle, all-encompassing smile on his face: "Hello, Rose."
"Hi... hi! Rose!" Marinette finally snapped out of her sweet fantasy.
Seeing Rose, she awkwardly tidied her hair and greeted her with a blush.
Alya, meanwhile, narrowed her always perceptive, light brown eyes.
Looking at Rose, she felt something was off. Listening to her practiced speech, full of 'pleasant surprises,' Alya's mind instantly flashed back—wasn't this scene very similar to the last time she had deliberately brought Marinette to the park to 'accidentally' meet Jaden, all to set Marinette and Jaden up?!
Her gaze subconsciously swept back in the direction Rose had come from.
Sure enough!
Just behind a clump of brightly blooming, person-high roses not far away, three distinct, furtive heads were peeking out in unison, anxiously looking towards them!
That iconic, sassy, orange-red short hair!
Those colorful, highly individual dreadlocks!
And that soft, long hair with a melancholic purple hue, like a dark elf!
It was Alix, Mylène, and Juleka!
Alya's internal alarm bells instantly went off!
She understood everything in an instant!
What accidental meeting! What coincidence!
This was clearly a premeditated, organized, and planned 'person-snatching' operation!
On the other side, the three girls who still thought they were well-hidden were instantly startled when they saw Alya's scrutinizing gaze shoot straight towards them!
Mylène and Juleka, like two startled bunnies, instinctively pulled their heads back!
Only Alix—the brave, athletic girl who was always fearless—after a brief moment of surprise, boldly stepped out from behind the rose bush!
"Tch, we've been discovered," she pouted somewhat discontentedly, then said to her two companions, who were still cowering behind her, in a tone that implied 'what's done is done,' "Alright! Stop hiding! Since we've been found out, let's go!"
With that, she took the lead, striding towards Jaden!
Mylène and Juleka exchanged glances, both seeing a hint of helplessness and nervousness in each other's eyes.
In the end, Mylène bravely followed Alix's pace.
And Juleka, as if mustering all the courage of her life, slowly shuffled out of the shadows, silently trailing behind.
Meanwhile, Rose, as the 'vanguard,' had already successfully opened the floodgates of conversation!
She held Marinette's hand and praised her from head to toe in a tone full of admiration and envy—
From her newly designed T-shirt with cute embroidery to her newly tied, playful pigtails, she praised Marinette, the girl who wasn't used to compliments, until she was dizzy and so flattered she almost couldn't find her bearings.
Alya looked at her completely smitten, disappointing best friend, and then at the three 'enemies' who were approaching their 'position' step by step, and she was practically fuming!
Soon, the three girls also arrived in front of them.
Their greetings fully reflected their distinctly different personalities.
"Hey! Jaden!" Alix walked up boldly and patted Jaden's shoulder with her energetic hand, neither too lightly nor too heavily, "I didn't expect to see you sunbathing here too!"
"H-hello..." Mylène stood somewhat reservedly behind Alix, greeting him softly in a slightly stiff tone.
Juleka, on the other hand, kept her head down the entire time, her soft, purple-tinged long hair covering most of her face. Her voice was so soft it was almost carried away by the wind: "...Good afternoon..."
Jaden looked at these girls in front of him, each with a different style but all equally cute as if they had stepped out of a manga, and maintained his gentle, impartial smile.
He patiently responded to each of their greetings.
Just then, Alya finally found an opportunity! While Rose and Alix were surrounding Jaden, one on his left and one on his right, trying to attract his attention with various topics, she darted forward and pulled Marinette, who was still dizzy from Rose's 'sugar-coated bullets,' to her side!
Seeing this, Rose's eyes flashed with a subtle glint of triumph.
She immediately seized this excellent opportunity for a private conversation, 'created' by Alya, and began talking with Jaden again.
"...Alya! What are you doing?!" Marinette, who had been forcibly pulled away, complained in a low voice, somewhat displeased.
"You're asking me what I'm doing?!" Alya pulled her aside and whispered to her in a tone only the two of them could hear, full of 'disappointment that she couldn't do better,' "Didn't you notice anything at all?!"
"N-notice what?" Marinette looked bewildered.
Just then, whether Alya's voice was too loud or Marinette's reaction was too intense, she suddenly let out a small, surprised "Huh?!"!
Although the exclamation wasn't loud, everyone present subconsciously turned their gaze towards them.
Alya's face instantly turned red!
She quickly waved her hands, stammering with embarrassment, "N-nothing! Nothing! Just... just a spider! There was a big spider just now! It startled Marinette! Haha... haha..." As she spoke, she pulled Marinette even further away.
"Keep your voice down!" she whispered to her always clueless friend, "Rose and the other three came specifically to find Jaden!
Didn't you notice?!"
"No way?" Marinette's beautiful blue eyes widened, filled with disbelief.
Alya looked at her innocent expression and was practically speechless!
"My dear lady! They're already right in front of us! And you're still saying 'no way'?"
She poked Marinette's forehead with her finger, "Use that head of yours, full of design inspiration, and think about it! Where are there such coincidental 'accidental meetings'?
Where are there four people 'strolling' in the park together so coincidentally? Pay attention!"
As the two of them were still engaged in this whispered conversation, full of 'strategic analysis'—Jaden's phone suddenly chimed again with a message notification.
This time, an urgent news push from the Paris News Channel popped up! The familiar and capable face of the anchor, Nadja, appeared on the screen. Her wine-red short hair was impeccably styled, and her eyes were bright and full of urgency.
She was delivering an urgent message to the citizens of Paris via video: "...Attention, citizens, please evacuate the Champs-Élysées area immediately!
I repeat, please evacuate the Champs-Élysées area immediately!
According to information we just received, a new Akumatized Person has appeared there! Witnesses claim he declares that no one in all of Paris understands his great 'art'..."
"It's Mommy!" Manon, who had been quietly playing with mud nearby, cried out with surprise and filial affection when she saw the familiar face on the screen.
Marinette, on the other hand, the moment she heard the words "Akumatized Person," her rosy face, which had just been full of teenage worries, instantly fell!
Her heart was filled with exasperation and anxiety—Not again... already?!
Can't... can't I just have a peaceful weekend?!
Today was a golden, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her and Jaden to deepen their relationship!
She was racking her brain, trying to come up with a perfect excuse that wouldn't arouse suspicion and would allow her to leave immediately—
"You... you're not trying to leave again at a time like this, are you?" Alya's voice echoed faintly beside her.
Although she had confirmed last time that Marinette was not Ladybug, she was all too familiar with Marinette's peculiar habit of becoming restless the moment an Akumatized Person appeared, and then invariably finding various excuses to slip away.
"Your 'Akumatized Person stress syndrome,'" Alya said with a teasing and helpless tone, "Hasn't gotten better yet?"
"...Mm..." Marinette could only blush and nod weakly.
That helpless and teasing remark, "Hasn't your Akumatized Person stress syndrome gotten better yet?" was like a small, harmless needle, gently pricking Marinette.
She could only blush and, under the gaze of several pairs of concerned and curious eyes, nodded with an extremely faint, almost imperceptible movement.
This appearance, in Jaden's eyes, became a heartbreaking and fragile testament.
He looked at Marinette's slightly pale, delicate face, and her blue eyes, which darted away nervously like a startled fawn, and the gentle urge to protect her instantly surged within him.
However, before he could say anything comforting, the little angel beside him, who had just been surprised by her mother's appearance on TV, let out a cry, her voice thick with tears.
"Mommy... Mommy is in such a dangerous place..." Manon's beautiful big eyes quickly filled with glistening tears.
She reached out her small hand and tightly clutched Jaden's clothes, as if he was the only safe harbor for her at that moment, "Brother Jaden... will Mommy... will she be okay?"
This tearful, dependent cry instantly drew everyone's attention from the ethereal 'Akumatized Person stress syndrome' back to the imminent, real crisis at hand.
"No, Manon," Jaden immediately knelt down, bringing himself to the little girl's eye level.
He reached out his hand and, with his always warm, dry palm, gently and tenderly wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes.
His voice was so gentle, so... convincing, as if it carried an incredible, soothing magic, "You see, your mommy is a news anchor, right?
His job is to tell everyone where the danger is, so that everyone can avoid it in advance.
So, he must be broadcasting from a very, very safe place.
Not only is he not in danger, but he is also protecting everyone; he is an amazing hero."
This gentle and soft comfort, like a warm current, instantly calmed Manon's panicked heart.
She sniffled and looked up at him with her clear, dewy eyes, asking with some uncertainty, "Rea… really?"
"Really." Jaden gave her an incredibly firm and reassuring smile.
This gentle and patient scene made the girls around them, who had just been lost in their own thoughts, stare in a daze.
Even Alix, who had just been aggressive and ready for a big fight, now showed a subtle, soft glow in her eyes, which always sparkled with a competitive light.
"Ahem," the first to awaken from this 'gentle haven' was Rose, who was the quickest to react.
Her eyes darted around, and she immediately thought of a perfect excuse that would both show her 'understanding' and naturally bring the conversation back to her 'home turf'!
"Yes, yes!" She also squatted down and gave Manon a sweet smile like a strawberry sundae, "Your mom is so amazing, she'll definitely be fine!
But… this is a park after all, and it doesn't seem very far from the street mentioned in the news just now… What if that Akumatized Person runs over here… that wouldn't be good!"
As she spoke, she exaggeratedly looked around with a worried expression.
"I think," she finally fixed her gaze on Jaden and said in a tone full of 'suggestion', "we should find a safe place to hide first, shouldn't we?
For example… go sit in a dessert shop?
It's right nearby! And today's macarons are the new rose lychee flavor!"
This suggestion was hitting two birds with one stone!
It showed her concern for everyone's 'safety' and, even more, naturally created a perfect private environment for her to take the 'next step' with Jaden!
"I agree!" Alix immediately raised her hand in approval! For her, it didn't matter where they went, as long as she could be with Jaden!
And Mylène and Juleka, two timid girls, turned pale after hearing the terrifying possibility that the Akumatized Person might run over!
Without thinking, they nodded frantically like chickens pecking at rice!
Alya looked at the rapidly deteriorating, almost out-of-control situation before her, her brows furrowed tightly!
She glanced at Marinette beside her, who had already decided to slip away, and then at the four 'enemies' opposite her who had reached a 'strategic consensus,' feeling overwhelmed!
"Tha… that…" Just at this critical moment, Marinette's apologetic and nervous voice, as faint as a mosquito, finally sounded, "I… I suddenly feel… a little… a little unwell…"
She clutched her chest, and her already pale face was now flushed with a sickly, worrying redness.
Her breathing also became a little hurried: "I… I still… want… want to go home first… I'm… I'm sorry…"
Her 'sickly' appearance was so realistic, so… convincing.
"Eh? Marinette, are you okay?" Jaden immediately stood up, his black eyes, always filled with a gentle smile, instantly filled with genuine concern.
He reached out, seemingly wanting to check the temperature of her forehead.
"No… no!" Marinette, like a startled rabbit, instinctively took a step back, dodging his hand that was about to touch her.
Her face instantly turned even redder, whether from nervousness or something else, "I… I just… feel a little… a little dizzy… I… I'll go lie down for a while… and I'll be fine…"
"Then I'll take you home." Jaden blurted out without thinking.
"No… no need!" Marinette almost screamed her refusal to his suggestion, "A… Alya… Alya will go back with me… that'll be fine!"
As she spoke, she looked intently at her inconsiderate best friend, who was still watching everything from the side with a look of amusement, with an expression full of 'pleading for help'!
Alya received her 'SOS' signal and finally sighed helplessly.
She knew that if she didn't act soon, her clumsy best friend would probably expose herself on the spot.
The sense of responsibility she felt for her friend's matchmaking, and her selfish desire to keep Jaden by her side, engaged in a fierce internal struggle.
Finally, a bold idea, carrying a hint of betrayal, quietly took root in her heart like a vine.
Alya showed a perfectly timed sigh on her face, adjusted her black-rimmed glasses, and said to Marinette in a tone full of 'understanding' and 'helplessness': "Alright, alright, this is your old habit, you get like this when you're nervous.
Then hurry up and go and come back."
Immediately after, she leaned closer to Marinette and, in a voice only the two of them could hear, added firmly: "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on Jaden for you! I definitely won't let them succeed!"
As soon as Marinette heard this, her guilt and unease were instantly drowned out by immense gratitude!
She suddenly hugged Alya, burying her face in her friend's shoulder, incredibly moved: "Alya! You're so good! You're truly my best friend! Thank you!"
"Alright, alright…" Alya gently patted her back, and deep within her eyes, which always sparkled with confidence, a fleeting, extremely complex emotion, full of apology, flashed by.
I'm sorry, Marinette… this time, let me… be selfish for once.
Watching Marinette hurry away as if fleeing, Alya slowly turned around, the concern of a 'good best friend' on her face instantly replaced by a calm demeanor, imbued with a steady, unchallengeable aura.
She walked over to Jaden and said in a very natural tone, as if simply stating a fact: "Jaden, I think I also saw Nathan and Marc just now; they're over there and seem to have something to talk to you about."
She raised her hand, pointing to the other end of the park, to a grassy slope.
Jaden followed the direction of her finger and, sure enough, saw his two friends with their easels, looking utterly relaxed as if they were 'watching a show'.
Although they were a bit far to discern their expressions, their leisurely posture, contrasted with the undercurrents of the atmosphere here, seemed particularly… glaring.
"Oh? Is that so?" Jaden's lips curved into a gentle yet slightly 'mischievous' smile.
He looked at those two guys, feeling a surge of irritation.
They sure enjoyed watching the show!
He turned his head and gave the girls around him, who were looking at him with various expectant gazes, an apologetic, gentle smile: "Sorry, I'll be right back.
Manon, will you play with the older sisters here for a while, please?"
"Mhm!" Although the girls were a little disappointed, seeing his gentle gaze, none of them could say anything to stop him and could only obediently nod.
After reassuring them, Jaden walked straight towards the two 'culprits'.
Here, Alya watched his retreating back and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She turned and gave Manon a friendly, big-sisterly smile: "Manon, look, there are so many pigeons over there, how about we go chase them?"
After successfully sending the only child away, Alya slowly straightened up and cast her scrutinizing and challenging gaze towards the four 'rivals' before her, each with their distinct styles.
Rose still smiled radiantly, as if everything that had just happened was merely an innocuous prelude;
Alix, on the other hand, stood with her arms crossed, her face etched with impatient 'get to the point';
Mylène instinctively recoiled, her eyes showing a hint of guilt;
And Juleka simply buried her head even lower, not daring to meet Alya's sharp gaze.
A silent war, belonging only to the girls, seemed about to begin.
Meanwhile, Jaden had already reached Nathan and Marc.
"Well, well, you two great artists," he said with a smile, hands in his pockets, looking down at them, "Enjoying the show, are we?
The speed of your messages was still a bit too slow."
"We couldn't help it!" Nathan spread his hands, looking innocent, "By the time we saw them, they were already in the park.
There was no chance to give a warning in advance!" Marc also nodded in agreement beside him.
"Then… may I ask," Jaden's gaze, like the most precise radar, locked onto the black-haired boy whose eyes were somewhat evasive, "how did those four know I would be 'resting' here today?"
Under Jaden's gaze, which was full of 'gentle' pressure, Nathan immediately adopted an attitude of indifference, as if it had nothing to do with him.
And Marc, under his friend's 'ruthless' betrayal, could only blush and stammeringly admit that he had accidentally revealed this 'secret base' a few days ago.
"Good heavens," Jaden put a hand to his forehead and let out a helpless sigh, "My peaceful resting place has completely turned into a public area."
"The park is a public place anyway…" Nathan muttered softly, talking back.
"Still daring to talk back?" Jaden smiled and extended a finger, flicking Nathan's forehead lightly.
"Ow! Why did you flick me! It wasn't me who said it!" Nathan clutched his forehead, protesting dramatically.
Marc, seeing this, also instinctively covered his head, afraid that he would be next.
"Alright, alright, tell me, is there something you need?" Jaden, having had his laugh, returned to the main topic, "If not, I'll go back.
After all, making ladies wait is not my style."
At this, the two immediately became serious, presenting their newly drafted artwork and story outline to Jaden.
Just as Jaden was seriously giving his comments and suggestions for their fantastical story, his phone once again buzzed with an emergency news notification.
"We'll look at it later," he told the two, "Let's watch the video first."
The three temporarily put down their creative work, gathered together, and looked at the small phone screen.
In the video, the voice of the host, Nadja, was filled with urgency. And in the background behind her, the Akumatized Person known as Stoneheart Man, was slowly walking down the Champs-Élysées.
Each time he swung his arm, the huge stone carving knife in his hand would emit a grey light. Wherever the light reached, whether it was panicked citizens or speeding cars, they would instantly be petrified into lifelike statues, full of despair.
"How… how dare they look down on my art…" The Akumatized Person's voice came through the live broadcast clearly, filled with the furious madness of trampled dignity, "Since you don't appreciate it, then… then let you forever become a part of my art!"
Just then, a black figure, like an elegant night cat, landed with a stylish backflip on top of a lamppost in front of the Akumatized Person.
"Hey, buddy," Cat Noir said lazily, crossing his legs with his characteristic, teasing tone, "Turning people into immobile stones, is that what you call 'art'?
With all due respect, your aesthetic… is truly 'rock solid'."
"Shut up! You stupid cat who only knows how to make witty remarks! You don't understand art!"
"Alright, alright," Cat Noir raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, "Then I'm really curious, what's your urgent business that you have to turn the entire street into your personal sculpture exhibition?"
Before he finished speaking, a red, agile figure descended from the sky like a meteor, landing steadily beside him.
"I have urgent business!" Ladybug's voice carried an undeniable, urgent tone.
She didn't even spare a glance for her partner beside her, her gaze, like a drawn sword, locked directly onto the Akumatized Person below. "Less talk, more action!"
Cat Noir looked at her impatient demeanor, and though he had more to say, he could only shrug helplessly.
Champs-Élysées, this Parisian artery usually flowing with luxury and romance, had now solidified into a bizarre, open-air sculpture museum filled with static terror.
The sun was still bright, golden autumn leaves twirled in the breeze, yet everything on the street was covered in a cold, lifeless greyish-white.
Couples arm-in-arm, mothers pushing strollers, even a pigeon about to perch on a bench, were all instantly frozen, transformed into eternal, lifelike stone statues, their faces still bearing the last traces of bewilderment and terror.
"Stoneheart Man"—the Akumatization street artist—stood atop a petrified double-decker bus, like a tyrant surveying his silent "masterpiece" created by his own hands.
Each swing of the carving knife in his hand emitted waves of grey, destructive artistic light.
"Buzz—!"
Another light wave whistled past Cat Noir's nose, instantly turning a ornate streetlamp behind him into a twisted, dull stone pillar.
"Whoa! That was close!" Cat Noir landed with an agile backflip onto the roof of another petrified car. His metal staff spun like a windmill, deflecting several incoming light waves. "Ladybug, you're so impatient, even more fervent than this 'stone artist's' creative desire!"
"No time for chitchat! Let's finish this quickly!" Ladybug's voice carried an undeniable, tense urgency!
Her figure, like a red lightning bolt, darted swiftly between the static, greyish-white "sculptures."
The yo-yo in her hand sometimes transformed into an unbreakable shield, blocking deadly light waves;
And at other times, like a nimble snake, it launched fierce attacks at the Akumatized Person atop the bus from various tricky angles!
Every one of her movements was full of power and grace, every dodge as precise as if calculated a thousand times.
But only she knew how anxious, how... chaotic, the heart hidden beneath her mask was at this moment!
Just before transforming.
"Tikki," Marinette said anxiously, looking at the approaching chaos outside the window, "We need to hurry! Alya might not be able to handle it alone!"
"But, Marinette," the tiny ladybug Kwami flew out from her hair, looking at his master with its wise, clear eyes, "Didn't you always say that Alya is your most reliable friend?"
"Yes... yes, she is..." Marinette replied subconsciously, "Alya is always reliable, but..."
But... a thought, like an uncontrollable vine, instantly wrapped around her heart!
Can Alya really do it?
The scene in the park uncontrollably flashed in his mind: Rose's aggressive, sweet smile;
Alix's undisguised closeness to Jaden beneath his dashing figure;
And Mylène and Juleka's timid yet equally admiring, evasive glances... That... that was four people! Four... all for Jaden... The thought of that gentle boy, always with a faint smile, now surrounded by those four covetous girls, and his only reliable "Alix," Alya, being all alone... an unprecedented, immense sense of crisis and urgency instantly overwhelmed her!
So, she now only wanted to quickly deal with this damned guy who only turned people into stone!
And then immediately! Right away! Rush back to his "battlefield"!
Meanwhile, in the park.
That battlefield belonging to the girls, without the smoke of war, had finally begun.
Jaden's figure had just disappeared at the end of the path leading to the slope, and all the ease and teasing on Alya's face, which always carried a sunny, confident smile, instantly faded away.
She slowly turned around, her light brown eyes hidden behind black-rimmed glasses, like the sharpest hawk, firmly locking onto the four "opponents" before her, each with a distinct style but all sharing the same goal—especially the blonde girl who maintained an innocent, sweet smile throughout.
"Rose," Alya wasted no time, directly pulling her aside from the four-person group that had already subtly formed an alliance, "We need to talk privately."
This action left the remaining three somewhat at a loss: Alix curiously peeked, wanting to hear what they were saying;
Mylène and Juleka, like two startled hamsters, instinctively cast their gaze towards Manon, who they deemed the least aggressive and was intently chasing pigeons nearby.
"Oh, Alya," Rose, pulled aside, still wore that harmless, approachable smile on his face, "What's so mysterious?"
"Stop pretending, Rose." Alya got straight to the point, her voice calm and penetrating, "We both know."
Rose's smile stiffened slightly, but quickly returned to its sweet appearance, only the eyes, which always sparkled with cunning, now held a subtle, sharp edge of defiance.
"What am I pretending about?" He tilted his head, his innocent look as if he had been greatly wronged.
"You brought the three of them today," Alya's gaze, like a surgical knife, precisely dissected the other's facade, "Was it really just for a simple 'friendly exchange' with us?"
"Isn't pursuing one's own love," Rose's smile finally carried a hint of provocation, that undisguised frankness and competitiveness belonging to a girl, like a drawn sword, its edge fully exposed, "everyone's basic right?"
"Love?" Alya was so exasperated by his self-righteous words that she almost laughed out loud, "You call this love? You call this forming a group..."
"We all like Jaden." Rose interrupted him, his voice no longer the sweet, feigned tone from before, but instead became unusually calm, unusually... firm.
His bright eyes looked directly at Alya, his gaze seeming to penetrate all disguises and excuses, "None of us, no one, wants to give up."
"Then... then what about Marinette!
Where do you put Marinette?!"
Alya subconsciously used his best friend as his strongest shield.
"Marinette?" Rose's lips curved into a complex arc, tinged with a hint of sympathy, yet unyielding, "Alya, I know you want to protect him.
But love is never something to be guarded by others.
And, why do you think only Marinette has the right to pursue him?"
His voice gradually softened, and the aggressive demeanor from moments before slowly gave way to a deeper, more storytelling, heartbreaking tenderness.
He turned his head, his gaze slowly sweeping over his three companions who were nervously looking in their direction not far away.
"You know, Alya..." His voice was as soft as if he were revealing an unknown secret, "Jaden is special to each and every one of us."
"He will patiently comfort Mylène, who is always too timid to take a step forward.
He told him, 'Courage isn't not being afraid, but choosing to do the right thing even when you are afraid.'
That tenderness was the first pure encouragement, without any mockery, Mylène had ever felt from a boy.
So, she fell in love with this tenderness, yet was afraid that his humble love would tarnish it.
She was afraid that once spoken, even the 'friendship' of being able to watch him from afar would disappear."
"He will proactively enter the world of Juleka, who always keeps himself closed off in the shadows.
He would look at his fantasy and melancholic paintings, and then genuinely tell him, 'Your world is beautiful, full of imagination.'
That affirmation was the most precious recognition Juleka had ever received from anyone outside his family.
So, she fell in love with this understanding, yet was too insecure to approach this light.
She felt that as long as she could silently watch him like this, watching him surrounded by sunlight, she would be content."
"He would high-five and playfully spar with Alix, who is always as boisterous as a boy, like brothers.
He would genuinely cheer for him when he won a competition; and be the first to offer a bandage when he got injured during training.
That pure friendship, without any gender-based barriers, made Alix feel a strange emotion called 'heartbeat' for the first time.
He said, 'Jaden and I are just brothers!'
But only he himself knew how unstoppable that love, which had long surpassed friendship and was like a raging fire, truly was."
At this point, Rose slowly turned his head back, looking at Alya again.
His bright, always vibrant eyes were now filled with a thin, glistening mist.
"And I..." A smile full of happiness, yet tinged with an unspeakable, deep sorrow, appeared on his face, "I am the same.
I also like Jaden.
I hope he can be my prince, just like in my favorite fairy tale.
I also hope I can be his only princess."
"Even if... even if the time for this fairy tale is very, very short... I still hope to do my best to maintain this hard-won feeling."
Alya was completely stunned by his sudden, heartfelt confession.
He looked at Rose's eyes, shimmering with tears in the sunlight, and the hostile, hard barrier in his heart softened and melted without him realizing it.
He... he didn't even know what to say to refute him.
"Then... then you can't... like this..." In the end, he could only weakly squeeze out a sentence that even he found pale and unconvincing.
"So," Rose looked at him, and suddenly burst into a smile through his tears. He reached out and wiped away the tears from the corner of his eyes, his face regaining that vibrant, confident smile, "I wanted to discuss a compromise with you."
"What compromise?"
"Fair competition."
Rose's eyes sparkled with bright and open light, "We and Marinette, everyone stands on the same starting line for a fair, friendly competition. No dirty tricks, no clever schemes.
Whoever can ultimately win his heart, it's all up to their own abilities."
"This way, we won't suffer from suppressing our feelings, nor will we cause Jaden any trouble with all those messy schemes."
"What do you think?"
Alya fell silent. He looked at Rose's sincere and determined face, then turned back to look at the three girls who were also looking at him with hopeful eyes.
He knew he had no retreat.
"Okay." He took a deep breath, adjusted his glasses, and the eyes behind the lenses rekindled with the calm and sharp light of a journalist, "Fair competition.
But, I have one condition."
"Tell me."
"No matter what the final outcome is," Alya's voice was firm, "We and Marinette will still be friends."
Rose smiled, his smile as bright as the sun after a fresh rain.
"No problem."