Cat Noir's teasing remark, "His beloved, huh?" was like a stone hitting Ladybug's already taut heart, causing ripples of panic.
"No… no way!"
Her reaction was almost a reflex. The fair skin on her face, exposed from beneath the mask, visibly flushed crimson with shame and indignation.
She waved her hands incoherently, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, eager to distance herself from a relationship that flustered her so.
"I… I just said I have someone I like! But… but that person isn't Jaden! I… I…"
The more she explained, the softer her voice became, and the less conviction she had.
Because she knew in her heart that she was lying. That kind of panicky, "protesting too much" behavior made her look like a little girl caught in a lie.
Cat Noir watched her rare, flustered appearance with interest, a mischievous glint in his emerald cat-like eyes.
Not only did he not back down, he intensified his "provocation."
"Alright, alright,"
He deliberately drew out his words, a mischievous grin on his face that said, "I believe your nonsense."
"Even if it's not him.
But honestly, I just think you two… are a perfect match.
And, you have a really good chance, you know."
As he spoke, he gravely gave examples, like an experienced relationship guru, and began to analyze the "disadvantages" of her rival.
"Take Jaden's classmate, Marinette, for example. That girl usually seems pretty good, quite cute.
But unfortunately…"
He wagged his finger, looking regretful, "The moment she's in front of Jaden, she immediately turns into a ditz and a blockhead, unable to even say a complete sentence.
His good friend, Alya, tried to help her with so many assists, but what was the result? All in vain! Don't you think that's an opportunity right there?"
He was completely immersed in his "onlookers see more than the players" analysis, completely oblivious that as the words "Marinette" and "ditz and blockhead" came from his mouth, Ladybug's complexion beside him had gradually turned from crimson to ashen, and then… darker and darker.
A dangerous, low pressure began to gather around her.
"So, if a girl is a little more proactive…"
Cat Noir's words were cut short when he suddenly felt his waist tighten!
He looked down in astonishment, only to see a familiar red and black polka-dotted rope, which at some point, had tightly wrapped around his waist!
Before he could react, a huge, irresistible pull suddenly came from the other end of the rope!
"Hey! Wait!"
Ladybug stood at the edge of the rooftop, expressionless, holding the other end of her yo-yo. Her eyes were cold, and her tone devoid of emotion.
"You're swinging too slowly," she said in a cold, almost factual tone, "I'll give you a push."
"No! I don't need it! Ahhh—!"
Cat Noir's scream was swallowed by the suddenly accelerating wind.
He was flung like a doll from a slingshot, in an extremely undignified posture, used by Ladybug as a wrecking ball, and ruthlessly swung towards Jaden's apartment window!
"Bang!"
With a slight thud, Cat Noir, relying on the natural agility of a feline, managed to extend his hand at the last moment before hitting the window, gripping the window ledge tightly and hanging in mid-air.
The night wind ruffled his hair, and he looked down at the height of several floors below with lingering fear, before raising his head and calling out weakly towards the rooftop:
"Can't you… be a little gentler…?"
Before he finished speaking, a blue stream of light flew precisely towards him from the rooftop.
"Oh!"
Cat Noir instinctively reached out and caught the cold, fake peacock miraculous firmly in his hand.
He casually pinned it to his chest, then once again focused his attention on the window in front of him.
A cat's night vision allowed him to see clearly even in the dark.
He had already prepared for the worst, ready to use Cataclysm to break the window.
But when he tentatively pushed the window pane, he unexpectedly found… the window was not locked, and he easily pushed it open a crack.
It seemed the target's vigilance was not too strong.
He skillfully and silently slipped through the open window, landing lightly on the room's floor without making a sound.
The room was dark, with only the faint city glow from outside dimly outlining the furniture.
A bed, a desk, a wardrobe—simple but tidy furnishings.
He immediately spotted the figure lying on the bed, breathing steadily, deeply asleep.
He tiptoed towards the desk beside the bed. The real peacock miraculous was in that hexagonal wooden box.
However, just as he was about to approach the desk, a cold, emotionless voice, as if from the deepest abyss, suddenly sounded behind him, making his steps abruptly freeze.
"Unauthorized intrusion into someone else's private space is not a good habit, Cat Noir."
Almost at the instant the voice sounded, a black shadow, carrying a fierce gust of wind, suddenly darted out from the shadows behind him, his staff, like a deadly viper, striking directly at his back!
Cat Noir's pupils contracted sharply! He didn't have time to think, his body, relying on combat instincts, suddenly rolled to one side, narrowly dodging the fatal blow!
He quickly regained his balance, his metal staff instantly extended, adopting a defensive posture, and he watched warily the tall figure slowly emerging from the darkness.
It was a man in a purple suit, wearing a silver mask.
He held a staff in his hand, and his entire being exuded a chilling, emperor-like pressure.
"Who are you?" Cat Noir asked in a deep voice.
"Heh heh heh…"
The man let out a low, mocking laugh, "Cat Noir, you don't recognize me, but I… have always wanted to get your and Ladybug's miraculous."
"Hawk Moth!"
Upon hearing this, Cat Noir instantly understood the other's identity! His emerald cat-like eyes flared with unprecedented vigilance and murderous intent!
As he confronted Hawk Moth, he subtly, out of the corner of his eye, glanced at the figure still sleeping on the bed.
But Hawk Moth seemed to have already seen through his thoughts.
"Don't worry,"
He said in an unhurried, factual tone, "I already made him unconscious when I came over.
Even if we tore the roof off this place, he wouldn't know."
He paused, a hint of playfulness in his tone: "But speaking of which, you two should thank me.
You were shouting so loudly outside just now; if it weren't for me, I estimate you… would have failed before you even started."
Cat Noir's heart sank sharply.
He knew that tonight, he had encountered the strongest and most formidable enemy he had ever faced.
But on the surface, he dared not show the slightest fear. As he parried with Hawk Moth, using words to buy time, he quietly moved his left hand, which held the metal staff, behind him, his fingers rapidly tapping out a distress message on the virtual keyboard of his communicator, sending it to Ladybug on the rooftop.
"What exactly do you want to do, going to such lengths just to get my and Ladybug's miraculous?"
He asked, feigning calmness, "You have the power of Akumatization; what can't you get? Why do you absolutely need our miraculous?"
Hawk Moth opposite him also seemed happy to engage in this "pre-battle discussion."
He slowly paced, his voice filled with a fanatical, chilling obsession.
"Because I have a… very, very important person who needs saving."
He said, "And my power is not enough to save her.
But I learned from my Kwami that by combining your and Ladybug's miraculous, I can achieve a… wish powerful enough to reverse everything!"
"So,"
His gaze became fervent and wild,
"I must have them!"
"Do you know the consequences of doing this?!"
Cat Noir's voice was taut with anger, his metal staff held horizontally in front of him, adopting a standard defensive posture, firmly protecting the large bed where Jaden slept behind him. "You're wantonly playing with other people's emotions, repeatedly putting all of Paris in danger! You're practically treating the world as a joke!"
"A joke?"
Hawk Moth's laughter, like cold air seeping from beneath his icy mask, echoed in the quiet room,
"My world… had already completely collapsed the moment that most important person left me."
His voice carried a deliberately crafted sense of tragedy, as if he were not a villain who manipulated hearts, but a tragic hero abandoned by fate.
"So, Cat Noir,"
He changed his tone, his eyes behind the mask gleaming with greed and coldness,
"Now, it's time for you to hand over your miraculous. For my world, your 'sacrifice' is insignificant."
Before his words finished, he moved! His figure, like a ghost, crossed several meters, his staff transforming into a purple lightning bolt, striking directly at Cat Noir's chest!
Cat Noir's pupils constricted, and he sharply arched his back, narrowly dodging the fatal blow in a near backbend.
The fierce wind from the staff grazed his nose, stirring a few strands of golden hair on his forehead.
But Hawk Moth's attack didn't stop; he twisted his wrist, changing from a direct stab to a horizontal sweep, the staff cutting through the air with a heavy whoosh, aiming at Cat Noir's waist just as he straightened up!
In the nick of time—
"Whoosh!"
A red and black polka-dotted stream of light, like a red comet streaking across the night sky, whistled in through the open window!
With an incredibly precise angle, it wrapped squarely around Hawk Moth's extended staff! It was the yo-yo!
"Clang!"
A tremendous force came from the yo-yo's rope, abruptly halting Hawk Moth's assault.
He felt his wrist sink; that blow, capable of splitting stone, could not advance an inch further!
Hawk Moth violently shook his staff, dislodging the wrapped yo-yo, and quickly retreated, creating distance, standing at the other end of the room.
A nimble red figure followed closely, landing silently beside Cat Noir—it was Ladybug.
At this moment, her face no longer held its previous panic and struggle; her azure eyes burned with an unprecedented, calm yet sharp flame.
Her gaze swept past her arch-nemesis, locking onto Hawk Moth's elaborately decorated lapel, as if trying to see through the fabric to all his secrets.
"Instead of us handing over our miraculous," her voice was clear and cold, every word resounding, "
How about… you hand over your miraculous, and that… spellbook in your hand!"
"spellbook!"
As these three words left Ladybug's lips, a blazing flame of "hope" ignited in her heart!
As long as they retrieved these two items, there was still a chance to salvage everything!
With the spellbook, Master Fu would be able to find a way to repair the miraculous, and then, Jaden would no longer have to bear the terrible curse, and could openly transform to become her partner!
At the thought of fighting side-by-side in the future, her heart pounded uncontrollably, this fervent desire filling her with endless courage and strength.
But when Hawk Moth heard the words "spellbook," a subtle, icy sneer flashed in his eyes beneath the silver mask.
"Blah blah blah, I have no idea what you're talking about."
He replied with an extremely innocent, even bewildered tone, "To be honest with you, I only have the Butterfly miraculous.
I accidentally acquired it many years ago from an antique dealer during a trip to Tibet. Other than that, I've never seen any… spellbook."
His acting was perfect; his candor and innocence were enough to make one believe him.
"Impossible!" Ladybug retorted without thinking, her logic clear and direct, "You have the Butterfly miraculous! Why wouldn't you have the spellbook? They should be together!"
"Oh?"
Hawk Moth let out a meaningful hum, his tone full of logical superiority, "Where has your boasted wisdom gone, Ladybug?
Who stipulated that I must possess the spellbook at the same time? Perhaps two different people found them? And besides…"
He took a step forward, aggressively retorting: "And why are you so certain that this so-called book is definitely in my hands?"
"Uh…"
This question left Ladybug speechless for a moment, while Cat Noir beside her was utterly confused.
He leaned close to Ladybug's ear, asking in a voice only they could hear: "I say… why does Hawk Moth absolutely need that… what's-it-called… spell-something book? Is that thing very important? I don't understand at all."
"Extremely important!"
Ladybug likewise lowered her voice and quickly explained, "That is the tome that records all the secrets of the miraculous!
If… if he has that book, as long as we take him down, we can find out the book's whereabouts! In that case…"
Her voice trembled slightly with excitement: "…in that case, Jaden's miraculous might be repaired!"
Cat Noir instantly understood; so that was the crux of the matter.
Just then, Hawk Moth's elegant yet slightly impatient voice sounded again: "Although I am very reluctant to interrupt your whispers,"
He spread his hands, his posture composed,
"But I must reiterate, I do not have the so-called book you are looking for."
(He, of course, had the book, and had studied it countless times.)
"What?"
Ladybug's expression instantly changed from determined to astonished and disappointed,
"Could it be… could it really be like Jaden's miraculous?
The items Master Fu lost back then really were split into three parts, falling into the hands of… three different people?"
She subconsciously voiced her conjecture.
"Three parts? What three parts?"
Cat Noir was even more confused. "Ladybug, what are you even talking about? I don't understand a single word!
Our goal, wasn't it to replace the peacock miraculous, Jaden's 'family heirloom,' because it was damaged?
Why are we dragging in all these messy things? And… who is this 'Master' you just mentioned?"
A barrage of questions burst from him like a machine gun.
"That… I'll explain to you later!"
Ladybug had no time to explain about the Guardian right now. Her gaze was fixed on Hawk Moth opposite her, trying to find a trace of a lie beneath the silver mask.
But just then, her gaze suddenly froze—she saw Hawk Moth opposite her, seemingly to prove the truth of his words, slowly pull out from his purple suit a… fan-shaped brooch that she was incredibly familiar with! On the back of the brooch, several hideous, spiderweb-like cracks were clearly visible!
It was the real, damaged peacock miraculous!
"You… how did you get the peacock miraculous?!" Ladybug exclaimed in shock. She clearly remembered Jaden had just put it away!
"Well…" Hawk Moth's mouth curved into a triumphant, victorious arc under his mask. "I have you two to thank for that."
He caressed the brooch in his hand like an appreciating art piece, slowly revealing the mystery: "Just now, in those few short minutes when both of you left because your energy was depleted…"
It turned out that during the time they left the rooftop to replenish their energy, Hawk Moth seized the rare opportunity and decisively performed a Akumatization on his personal assistant, Nathalie, giving her the ability of a "teleporter"—
She could create portals, allowing him to infiltrate Jaden's room in the shortest time possible and, without anyone knowing, obtain the real peacock brooch!
(All of this, of course, was done with Jaden's "cooperation.")
"However…" Hawk Moth's tone suddenly shifted, becoming a bit disappointed.
He held up the brooch to the moonlight streaming through the window, carefully examining the cracks.
"…I didn't expect this thing to actually be broken.
I thought you were just looking for an excuse to take it back from that boy."
His voice was filled with just the right amount of regret, as if his plan had fallen through.
(Of course, this was also a performance. It was a play he and Jaden put on together. The disappointment at this moment was merely to mislead the two heroes in front of him.)
"Still… better than nothing."
Hawk Moth carefully put the real peacock brooch back into his embrace, glanced at the ready Ladybug and Cat Noir, and said with a regretful tone, "Ladybug and Cat Noir are both here, so it seems today I won't be able to get your miraculous."
He shrugged, like a gentleman who had lost a gamble but still maintained his composure: "Well then… I'll take this thing for now."
After speaking, he suddenly looked up and shouted at the empty ceiling: "Teleporter! Take me away!"
As soon as his voice fell, a bright circle of light instantly expanded beneath his feet! The dazzling light made Ladybug and Cat Noir involuntarily shield their eyes with their arms!
When the light dissipated, Hawk Moth's figure was long gone from the room.
Only the window, gently swaying in the evening breeze, remained, along with… the two young heroes, looking at each other in shock.
"He… he's gone…" Ladybug's voice carried a hint of hollowness after exhaustion.
She looked at the spot where Hawk Moth had disappeared, her eyes unfocused, as if all her strength had been drained.
"And… and he took Jaden's 'family heirloom'…"
This thought, like a thorn, pierced her heart.
She couldn't imagine the disappointment and sadness Jaden would feel when he woke up tomorrow to find the brooch, which might have been incredibly significant to him, had vanished.
A sense of guilt, like an impenetrable net, tightly enveloped her.
If she hadn't taken it upon herself to come and monitor, if it wasn't for her… perhaps Hawk Moth wouldn't have appeared at all, and the brooch would still be safely with its owner.
"How sad Jaden will be when he wakes up…"
She murmured, slowly crouching down, burying her face in her arms, her body trembling uncontrollably.
The sorrow that had not yet occurred had already outlined a clear shape in her mind, allowing her to taste the pain of loss in advance.
"Ladybug,"
Cat Noir walked over, half-crouching beside her, his voice carrying a hint of comfort, "It's no use for him to take that anyway, he doesn't know how to repair it.
And don't forget, there's still one here."
He pointed to the substitute peacock brooch pinned to his chest.
However, Ladybug lifted her head from her arms, tears still glistening in her swollen eyes, and said in a hoarse voice: "It's not the same… Cat Noir, didn't you see the cracks on the back of the real peacock brooch?
The one we have is flawless, how can we make the exact same cracks?
Even if we take it back to be mended, it would take several days to figure out a method, and it would have to be perfectly precise so that Jaden wouldn't notice any flaws…"
She pointed to the smooth, new-looking substitute, her voice filled with helplessness: "And how can we possibly, out of thin air, create the exact same marks as that crack now?
"This one now, when he wakes up, or first thing tomorrow… he'll know it's fake with just one look!"
She looked again at the figure still sleeping on the large bed.
In her mind, she uncontrollably conjured the sad expression—one she had never seen before—that might appear on Jaden's always gently smiling face after he discovered the truth.
The thought of that scene made her heart ache uncontrollably.
"At this point… there's only one way."
Cat Noir looked at her, on the verge of tears, then lowered his head to look at the "flawless" substitute in his hand. A determined light flashed in his emerald cat eyes.
"What?" Ladybug looked at him, puzzled.
Cat Noir took a deep breath, then, in a whisper so soft only he could hear, he uttered the word that symbolized "destruction": "…Cataclysm."
The next second, an ominous, crackling black energy once again gathered and coiled in his right palm!
Ladybug was startled, and her squatting posture instinctively made her stand up and take a step back.
"Cat Noir! You… what are you trying to do?!"
She exclaimed, afraid he might impulsively destroy this only "hope" as well.
However, Cat Noir ignored her. He closed his eyes tightly, an extremely focused expression on his handsome face.
He seemed to be using all his willpower to control that wild, destructive energy capable of destroying everything.
Ladybug watched in astonishment as the destructive power, which had originally coiled around his entire hand like a black storm, began to slowly retract!
They converged towards the tip of his index finger as if alive, finally condensing into a single point… a pure darkness even finer than a needle's tip!
After completing all this, a fine layer of cold sweat had already seeped onto Cat Noir's forehead.
This kind of precise control over Cataclysm was an unprecedented and extremely mentally taxing challenge for him as well.
Then, he opened his eyes and, with the fingertip condensed with destructive power, gently and slowly drew across the back of the substitute brooch.
"Sizzle…"
There was no violent explosion, no dazzling light. Only a faint sound, like a hot knife slicing through butter.
Ladybug stood by, holding her breath, not daring to exhale.
She watched with her own eyes as Cat Noir's fingertip, like a carving tool, replicated on the smooth back of the brooch… one crack after another… identical to the cracks on the back of the real miraculous she remembered!
It wasn't until the last stroke fell that Cat Noir finally let out a long sigh of relief. The destructive power in his right hand also dissipated.
"Phew… this detailed work is really troublesome." He shook his slightly numb hand, stood up, and said in a feigned casual tone.
He showed the "aged" brooch to Ladybug: "As for the Kwami problem… it was broken anyway, so it's normal for the Kwami to sometimes come out and sometimes not."
Ladybug took the brooch, flipped it over, and examined it carefully.
The cracks on the back, visually, were indistinguishable from the real one she had just seen.
Her anxious heart finally relaxed a little.
"Alright,"
Cat Noir took the brooch from her hand and walked towards the bed, "I'll put it away."
"Wait!"
Ladybug suddenly remembered something and quickly whispered a reminder, "I saw… that brooch was pinned to Jaden's short shirt, not put in a box!"
"Oh, oh! Of course, I knew that!"
Cat Noir stopped, turning around stiffly.
He had indeed intended to put the brooch directly back into the wooden box, and now that he was caught, the tips of his ears flushed a suspicious red.
"How could I forget such a small thing? I was just… trying to confirm it first."
He argued with his mouth, but his body awkwardly walked towards the bed, tiptoeing like a little black cat trying to steal cat food without making a sound.
Ladybug watched him, a faint smile unconsciously curving her lips.
She didn't urge him, her gaze instead turning to the bookshelf beside Jaden's desk—a corner of a note peeked out from between a stack of books, vaguely showing the words "My Diary."
Ladybug's heart instantly became conflicted: peeking into someone else's diary was absolutely wrong, it was an invasion of privacy, and as Ladybug, she should adhere to morals even more.
But when she thought of the potential danger Jaden faced, his unknown troubles, and the secrets he might be bearing alone, her fingers felt drawn by an invisible force.
After a moment of hesitation, she still succumbed to strong curiosity and worry, walked to the bookshelf, and gently took down the thin diary.
The light streaming in from the window allowed her to see the handwriting clearly. This was a "made-up, nonsensical" diary, with casual and unrestrained handwriting, mostly about daily trivialities, full of a teenager's casualness and nonchalance, occasionally mentioning evaluations of female characters around him, recording bits of life's beauty.
Ladybug flipped through page after page, her lips occasionally curving upwards, sometimes chuckling at interesting content, sometimes nodding at details.
But when her gaze fixed on the pages with "Marinette" written on them, her breath suddenly hitched:
"…Saw Marinette again today. She always seems so nervous; when she talks to me, her face turns as red as an apple, so cute it makes me want to… pinch her."
"…Alya is truly a good friend, but Marinette is even more timid than a hamster. I really want to tell her that I'm not scary at all."
"…The sunglasses she designed are truly amazing. When I saw the confident light shining in her eyes, I felt that at that moment, she was even more dazzling than the Parisian night sky…"
The handwriting was simple, yet direct and sincere. Ladybug's cheeks instantly ignited, turning crimson even faster than before, her heart pounding as if it would burst from her chest.
The joy of being quietly watched and gently appreciated made all her worries and conflicts seem insignificant.
So… he was secretly observing her, and even thought she was cute?
She was overwhelmed by the sudden tenderness and ambiguity, which dissolved all her rationality.
Then she quickly closed the diary, put it back on the bookshelf with a red face, and whispered:
"Cat Noir! Are… are you done over there?!"
As if trying to cover up her guilty conscience of "peeking" and the heat on her face with her voice.
Cat Noir had just finished his task: he stealthily pinned the fake brooch to Jaden's short shirt collar, then perfectly covered it with the quilt, and after confirming it was seamless, he quietly stepped back.
"Shh… done. Mission accomplished."
He lowered his voice and walked towards Ladybug, but as he got closer, he noticed her flushed cheeks. "Hey, Ladybug,"
He leaned in, his emerald cat eyes full of curiosity and mischief, "Why does your face… look strange? It's red like a cooked shrimp."
"Wh… what are you talking about?!"
Upon hearing this, Ladybug, as if her tail had been stepped on, immediately turned around, facing away from him, and forcefully changed the subject, "Do you want to know what all this is about? Let's go now! I'll explain to you on the way!"
After speaking, she walked straight towards the window without waiting for Cat Noir's reply.
Although Cat Noir was full of doubts, he had no choice but to follow.
The two, one in front and one behind, silently leaped out of the room.
Before leaving, Ladybug couldn't help but turn back and take a deep look at the figure on the bed, the one who had her heart in a knot.
Then, she turned and disappeared into the vast night—the two headed towards the sewer, another entrance to Master Fu's residence… The room returned to silence.
Ten minutes later, on the large bed, the young man who should have been in a "deep coma" slowly opened his eyes.
There was no sleepiness in his black eyes, only a profound, bottomless clarity like an ancient well.
"Heh…" A soft chuckle came from the shadows of the room.
Hawk Moth's figure slowly emerged.