The dim streetlights of Paris cast a hazy, warm glow.
Marinette had already neatly tucked her somewhat comical cosplay outfit back into her seemingly bottomless pink shoulder bag, changing back into her everyday embroidered T-shirt and pink trousers.
She walked beside Jaden, a subtle and unspoken quietness maintaining between them.
The evening breeze, carrying a hint of coolness, brushed her cheeks, finally calming her heart, which had been pounding from the thrilling "undercover operation."
Going to see Rose… Marinette turned her head, secretly glancing at the quiet and gentle profile of the young man beside her.
Although a pang of indescribable sourness still welled up in her heart whenever she thought that his Akumatization was because of another girl.
But… to be able to quietly accompany him like this, walking home together… it seemed… pretty good too.
Jaden, at this moment, was completely immersed in his own thoughts.
That terrible sense of weakness, which had almost drained him completely, still lingered in his limbs, aching faintly like countless tiny electric currents.
What's going on? He frowned.
Cat Noir's power… is the consumption really that great?
In his understanding, after Cat Noir used Cataclysm, even though he would enter a transformation countdown, he could at least last for a few minutes.
But him? Just "destroying" a small "cause of illness" almost made him collapse on the spot!
This is unreasonable.
Could it be… that forcibly twisting the concept of "destruction" to touch upon the realm of "creation" is itself a taboo, which will incur the backlash of the rules?
Various complex thoughts tangled like a mess in his mind.
The two walked in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.
Suddenly!
— "Jaden!"
A clear call, tinged with uncertainty, abruptly sounded from a nearby alley, like a stone dropped into a calm lake, instantly shattering the quiet between them.
Jaden's contemplative state was instantly broken. He turned his head somewhat blankly, looking at the equally puzzled girl beside him: "…Did you call me?"
"No," Marinette blinked her beautiful blue eyes innocently, "…that voice… why does it sound so familiar?"
Marinette thought carefully for a moment, then shook her head—she didn't know why the voice sounded familiar.
"…Look over here!"
The two curiously followed the sound, only to see a… golden head slowly emerging from a seemingly clean green trash can.
The blond head cautiously looked left and right, and after confirming it was safe, it crawled out of the trash can using both hands and feet.
"…Adrien?"
Jaden's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Marinette also covered her mouth in surprise. Although she wasn't familiar with this famous model classmate, she never expected to reunite with him in such… such an impactful scene.
Why would a pampered young master crawl out of a trash can? This was simply too surreal.
Adrien apparently saw them too. He jumped out of the trash can, brushing off non-existent dust from his expensive jacket as he walked towards them with a slightly embarrassed expression.
Jaden looked him up and down, his black eyes, usually filled with a gentle smile, now full of undisguised teasing: "Oh, big model, why are you so free today? Did you switch careers to crawling into trash cans?
A new performance art?"
Adrien's handsome face instantly fell. He sighed, forced a smile that was uglier than crying, and began his half-truth, half-false explanation: "Don't even mention it… I… I just couldn't stand being cooped up at home, so I secretly snuck out for a walk…
…and then… then I got targeted by a group of crazy fans…"
As he spoke, he glanced back at the alley entrance with lingering fear, lowering his voice and looking pitiful: "I really had no choice, they chased me for several blocks! In desperation, I had to… had to hide in here to avoid the commotion."
Of course, he omitted the most crucial part.
The truth was, when the gentle sea of flowers that had trapped him dissipated with Jaden's Akumatization being lifted, he immediately pulled out his phone.
When he saw the familiar yet unfamiliar "Prince of flowers" in the news revert to Jaden's appearance, Adrien's feelings were complicated.
It's Jaden again… How many secrets does this guy still hide?
Three times, he had been crushed by the same person, in a completely overwhelming manner.
This was undoubtedly a heavy blow to Cat Noir, who had always been confident.
He was sighing at his empty ring finger, wondering how to explain to Ladybug that he had lost the miraculous again, when the familiar cat paw ring suddenly "clinked" and fell from the sky, landing precisely in his palm.
Adrien looked up in surprise; there was nothing in the night sky but a few sparse stars.
Who was it? Ladybug?
He didn't have time to think, quickly put on the ring, and summoned his kwami. "Plagg—!"
"Ugh… don't bother…" The black mini cat kwami floated out of the ring weakly, not even bothering to open its eyes, looking like it could fall apart at any moment, "I'm so tired… so hungry…"
"Quick! Here's your favorite Camembert cheese!" Adrien hurriedly pulled out his always-prepared "energy bar" from his pocket and offered it like a treasure.
However, to his astonishment, the little guy, who usually valued cheese more than his life, this time only weakly waved his paw: "…Not interested… too tired… I'll eat… after I wake up…"
With that, Plagg "whooshed" back into the ring and wouldn't come out no matter how much Adrien called.
Adrien was completely dumbfounded.
Plagg, who usually got hyped up just by smelling cheese, didn't even bother to look at it this time?
This was practically a sign of the end of the world!
Just as he was dazed, a sharp, ear-piercing scream broke the silence. "—It's Adrien!"
Around the corner, a girl who had been looking down at her phone suddenly looked up, her eyes shining as if she had discovered a new continent, like Columbus!
Immediately after, her dolphin-like scream instantly attracted several other girls who were also Adrien fans!
A crazy, irrational chase began. And then, there was this embarrassing scene.
"So…" Adrien tidied his somewhat messy blond hair, recovering his usual sunny and handsome demeanor. He looked at the two curiously, "Where are you two going?"
"We're going to visit Rose," Marinette answered before Jaden, in a friendly yet slightly distant tone.
"Going to see Rose?" Adrien's eyes lit up. "Then… can I come along? I'm worried about her too."
Jaden raised an eyebrow: "Didn't you sneak out? Your dad won't be happy if he catches you."
"Oh, it's not the first or second time anyway!" Adrien waved his hand, looking nonchalant, "Just visiting a classmate, it's fine!"
And so, the original party of two inexplicably turned into a party of three.
Along the way, Adrien always intentionally or unintentionally tried to talk to Jaden, asking about the details of the Akumatization incident, his words full of probing.
He probed indirectly, trying to extract more information from Jaden, but Jaden lightly brushed him off with "I don't remember anything."
This made Marinette, who was beside them, very unhappy.
Why was this blond lightbulb always bothering Jaden?
Didn't he see that Jaden had just been released from his Akumatization, his face was still pale, and he needed rest?
She quietly puffed out her cheeks, like a little hamster guarding its food, subtly moving closer to Jaden, trying to use her body to separate that annoying "lightbulb"… Finally, the familiar white building of the hospital appeared before them. Jaden, knowing the way, led the two to the door of the room Rose had been staying in.
However, when he pushed the door open, the room was empty. The bedding on the bed was neatly folded, as if no one had ever stayed there.
"Huh?"
Jaden was a little confused, "Isn't this the room?
I clearly remember it was here."
Marinette and Adrien also cast questioning glances, their eyes seeming to say, "Did you get it wrong?"
"…I don't know either." Jaden could only shrug helplessly. He turned and stopped a passing nurse, politely asking, "Hello, excuse me, where did the blond-haired girl who was staying in this room go?"
Before the nurse could answer, a cold, yet incredibly familiar voice, softly sounded from behind them: "…She has… been discharged."
Jaden's body instantly froze.
All three turned their heads simultaneously, only to see Nathalie—Gabriel's personal assistant, always dressed in a crisp black business suit—standing expressionlessly in the pale light of the corridor.
She was quietly watching them.
In her hand, she held the special, compact tablet, and displayed on the screen was Gabriel's face!
— "Dad?!"
Adrien was terrified the moment he saw that face on the screen!
He didn't even have time to think; his body had already reacted instinctively before his brain could—
He "whooshed" and hid behind Jaden's seemingly slender, yet at this moment incredibly reliable, back.
He desperately tried to reduce his presence, as if as long as he hid well enough, his terrifying father, who was far away, wouldn't be able to see him!
"It's okay." Jaden's voice was as calm as a bottomless ancient well, not making the slightest ripple.
He even gave a reassuring glance to Adrien, who was desperately trying to shrink his presence behind him, his eyes seeming to say, I'm here.
On the tablet screen, Gabriel's normally calm face was twisted into a cold knot of a frown, seeing his son who was supposed to be grounded.
He hadn't expected Adrien to openly defy his orders and run off to a place like this.
A storm was brewing in his deep blue eyes, ready to erupt.
"Get into the room first," he said, his voice coming through the electronic speaker with an unyielding, metallic coldness that brooked no argument. "Don't disturb other patients in the corridor."
"Understood, sir." Nathalie was always so efficient and professional.
She held the tablet steadily with one hand, while with the other, she gracefully gestured "please" and pushed open the door to the empty ward for them.
As the last person stepped into the room, Nathalie silently closed the white door behind them.
A soft click, as if severing two worlds.
The air in the room instantly became stagnant and oppressive.
Gabriel's gaze from the screen, like a sharp sword, pierced directly at Adrien, who was hiding behind Jaden.
"—Adrien!"
His voice suddenly rose, filled with a stern father's authority and the fury of being disobeyed, "Why aren't you in your room?!
Do you have any idea how dangerous it was out there just now?!"
Adrien flinched at the angry roar, instinctively shrinking further behind Jaden, only peeking out half of his golden head, and defended himself in a voice barely above a whisper, full of grievance: "I... I just wanted to come out and see a classmate..."
"Visit a classmate?"
Gabriel's voice was still stern,
"Even when visiting a classmate, your Bodyguard should always be by your side!
Not like this, acting on your own! Absolutely undisciplined!"
"But... but if I said that, would you have let me come out...?"
Adrien's voice was even softer, almost a self-muttering whisper.
"What did you say?!" Gabriel clearly hadn't heard him, his frown deepening.
"Ahem." A slight, timely cough broke the silence; it was Nathalie.
"Adrien didn't say anything, sir.
I think... shouldn't we be discussing something important now?"
After she finished, she subtly gave Adrien a reassuring look with a slight smile.
Adrien, as if clutching at a life raft, immediately nodded frantically.
Gabriel's gaze lingered on his son's face, filled with gratitude and lingering fear, for a few seconds, then he slowly nodded, seemingly reminded of more important matters by Nathalie.
"Alright.
Adrien, we'll talk about your matter slowly after we get home."
His tone was still stern, every word like a piece of ice, "Nathalie will have the Bodyguard take you back.
Remember, no more shenanigans from you on the way! Otherwise, you can forget about participating in any of your extracurricular activities!"
These words undoubtedly pronounced Adrien's "death sentence" for the foreseeable future.
"Now, I need to discuss some serious matters with Mister Jaden."
Gabriel's sharp gaze finally slowly shifted from his unaccomplished son to Jaden.
Marinette, who was standing by, hadn't dared to breathe since the beginning.
Gabriel, that name, to her, was like a deity in the fashion world.
She had never imagined that one day she would experience her idol's... terrifying aura in such a way, so closely.
That cold and powerful oppressive feeling, which could be felt even through the screen, made her feel like a little bunny who had accidentally wandered into a lion king's territory, her fur almost standing on end.
She instinctively glanced at Jaden beside her, only to find him still looking calm and unconcerned, as if the fashion mogul who was currently raging at his son was merely an ordinary company boss having a video conference.
This composure, for some reason, miraculously calmed her heart, which had been pounding wildly from nervousness.
"Nathalie." Gabriel in the video gave another instruction, "Take Adrien, and... this classmate next to Mister Jaden, out first.
I have some things I need to discuss alone with Mister Jaden."
"Understood, sir." Nathalie steadily placed the tablet computer on the bedside table, the screen facing the sofa where Jaden was sitting.
Then, she turned and once again made that elegant "please" gesture to Adrien and Marinette.
Adrien, as if granted a great pardon, almost immediately darted out from behind Jaden and obediently followed Nathalie towards the door.
Marinette hesitated, looking worriedly at Jaden.
Jaden gave her a reassuring look and gently nodded: "It's alright, wait for me outside for a bit."
Having received his approval, Marinette, still looking back every few steps, followed Nathalie out of the room.
The door closed once again.
Outside the door, Adrien's Bodyguard, built like a small mountain, was already standing silently in the corridor.
He had evidently been on standby downstairs and rushed up immediately after receiving Nathalie's call.
He was about to take Adrien away, but Nathalie raised a hand to stop him.
"Wait a moment."
The Bodyguard nodded and continued to stand by like a silent statue.
Adrien and Marinette were led to another empty lounge at the end of the corridor.
As soon as Adrien entered, he slumped onto the sofa with an expression of utter despair, clearly still mourning his impending loss of freedom.
Marinette, however, was restless.
She was really not familiar with these people.
Sitting there, she felt completely uncomfortable.
But a strong curiosity, like countless tiny cat claws, was frantically scratching at her heart.
Jaden... and her idol, Mister Gabriel... what secret did they have between them?
What... exactly were they going to discuss?
...And in that ward, with only two "people."
Jaden leaned lazily on the sofa, calmly looking at the face on the screen.
"Mister Gabriel,"
He broke the silence first, his tone as gentle as if asking about the weather, "May I ask, is there something you need?"
"I think... this should be our second time 'meeting' in this manner, Mister Jaden."
Gabriel's voice in the video was calm.
"Yes," Jaden nodded, "So, what is it exactly?
If it's just about Adrien's education, I don't think I can be of much help.
If there's nothing, I need to take Marinette home.
And, by the way, I also need to confirm if Rose got home safely."
His words carried a hint of subtle urgency and impatience.
"No need to rush." A subtle, enigmatic smile slowly appeared on Gabriel's face.
"In fact, it wasn't me who wanted to see you today."
"But... someone else."
"Someone else?" Jaden's eyebrow twitched slightly, "Who?"
The moment he asked this, he was silently complaining in his heart.
Keep acting, keep acting.
Let's see how long you can keep it up.
"Hawk Moth." Gabriel slowly uttered those three words in a calm tone, as if saying a name completely unrelated to him.
"Ah... Hawk Moth is looking for me?"
Jaden's face showed a perfectly timed expression of surprise and confusion,
"Then... who are you?
His messenger?"
Just then!
"Click."
Inside the room, all the lights, at the same time, without warning, went out!
The entire world, instantly, plunged into pitch-black darkness!
Immediately after, streams of ominous and eerie Akuma data, like countless living electronic snakes, surged wildly from the still-lit tablet computer screen!
They rapidly intertwined, swirled, and condensed before Jaden!
Finally, they slowly formed a human-shaped, three-dimensional projection, as tall as Jaden, oppressive, ornate, and evil!
The man wearing a silver butterfly mask!
Hawk Moth!
Jaden watched the lifelike new projection, made of light and data, with composure.
He then casually glanced at the tablet computer screen, which was still lit.
On the screen, Gabriel's face maintained that cold and calm expression.
As if none of this concerned him, yet he was the mastermind controlling everything.
And this oppressive, evil projection before him was merely an ornate puppet in his hands.
"...I think," a electronically processed voice, full of majesty and coldness, as if it could directly affect the human soul, slowly resonated in the silent room, "...this should be, our first time, conversing, face-to-face, in this manner, right..."
"...Prince of flowers." Hawk Moth slowly uttered the code name that belonged to him just now.
"...Sorry,"
Jaden, however, slowly shook his head, his usually gently smiling face revealing an innocent bewilderment, "...What did you say? I... I, it seems, have forgotten."
However.
"...No," Hawk Moth's cold voice mercilessly blocked all his subsequent words, "...You, will not forget."
"...Because,"
"...Just now, I dark transformed an 'All-Knowing One' who can discern all truths."
"...And she told me a very interesting piece of information..."
"...That is, you, Mister Jaden..." Hawk Moth's eyes, hidden beneath the silver mask, seemed to penetrate all disguises and look directly into his deepest soul, "...never lose any memories."