Marinette, holding the warm, wicker bread basket, walked with the proud bearing of a victorious general towards another row.
Her heart was filled with strength from that small, yet significant, act of defiance.
She approached Alya's seat, took a golden-brown, crispy croissant from the basket, and gently placed it on her friend's desk.
Alya leaned over, nudged her arm with her elbow, and whispered in a tone full of admiration and excitement, "Well done, girl! That's it!
We can't always let Chloé get away with it! Seeing His (referring to Information Mister) crestfallen look just now was so satisfying!"
Marinette couldn't help but curve her lips into a playful smile. She winked at Alya, a silent understanding passing between them.
Next, she went to the back row and distributed bread to Mylène and Alix.
The two girls also gave her admiring glances; Alix even gave her a 'cool' gesture, while Mylène mouthed, "You're awesome."
The support from her classmates bolstered Marinette's confidence.
She continued to the back, offering bread to Juleka and Rose in the third row.
Both girls gave her sweet smiles, especially Rose, whose bright eyes were filled with pure kindness and joy.
Finally, Marinette, still holding the basket, arrived at the corner of the last row in the classroom. That was Jaden's seat.
Her heart skipped a beat without warning. The courage she had felt during her confrontation with Chloé seemed to drain away in an instant.
She felt her cheeks begin to burn uncontrollably again, and her steps became somewhat stiff.
She lowered her head, not daring to look into Jaden's eyes, and mechanically took out the plumpest, most perfectly baked croissant from the basket, gently placing it on his desk.
Just as she was about to turn and flee, a gentle voice, tinged with a hint of amusement, softly sounded in her ear: "Excellent."
Those two simple words, like the most beautiful music, instantly struck Marinette's heart.
She suddenly looked up, meeting Jaden's deep, smiling eyes. In his gaze, there was no surprise, no scrutiny, only pure, heartfelt approval.
Marinette's mind went blank with a 'buzz'.
She stiffly nodded, feeling as if she might faint from happiness.
She even forgot what she was supposed to do next, only wanting to turn and leave immediately to find a place to calm her rapidly pounding heart.
"Hey! Marinette!" Nathan's voice came from behind.
"You seem to have forgotten about us two!" Max also reminded her, smiling.
Marinette then came to her senses, realizing she had walked right past Nathan and Max's seats.
Blushing, she quickly apologized, "Ah! I'm sorry! I... I forgot!"
She awkwardly distributed the last two pieces of bread to them, then amidst the good-natured laughter of her classmates,
she practically shuffled back to her seat beside Alya, and as soon as she sat down, buried her hot face in her arms.
"He... what did he say to you?" Alya leaned over curiously, gossiping in a whisper.
"He... he said 'excellent' ..." Marinette's voice came muffled from beneath her arms, yet it was filled with unconcealed joy.
The two huddled together, beginning to chatter softly about their girlish secrets.
And all of this, for Chloé, who sat in the second row, was nothing short of a public humiliation.
First, being ignored, then seeing Marinette and Jaden's "flirtatious" interaction, and finally, having to endure what she perceived as the mocking laughter of the entire class.
Every minute, every second, was torment for her. She felt her lungs were about to explode with anger.
Her innate pride would not allow her to sit idly by.
She had to do something! She had to reclaim everyone's attention for herself!
A foolish and malicious idea quickly formed in her mind.
She suddenly stood up from her seat: "Teacher!"
Alya's mother, who was sharing her experience at the podium, was interrupted. She and Teacher Caline looked at Chloé with some confusion.
"I... I need to leave for a moment, to go to the restroom." Chloé covered her stomach with her hand, displaying a perfectly timed hint of "discomfort" on her face.
Teacher Caline looked at her, and though somewhat displeased, she nodded, "Go ahead, Chloé."
Chloé walked out of the classroom under the watchful eyes of the entire class.
A short while later, Sabrina's phone also rang. She glanced at the screen, then raised her hand to signal the teacher, and hurried out after her.
About five minutes later, just as the parents were about to finish their sharing and move on to classroom interaction, Chloé returned alone.
She sat back down in her seat with a normal expression, but deep in her eyes, a strange glint of a successful conspiracy flickered.
A moment later, she suddenly let out an exaggerated, piercing scream: "Ah! My bracelet! My bracelet is gone!"
This scream, like a bomb dropped into a calm lake, instantly drew everyone's attention.
"What's wrong, Chloé?" Her father, Mayor Bourgeois, immediately asked with concern.
"My bracelet!"
Chloé pointed to the empty velvet box on the desk, her face showing panic and distress, her eyes quickly filling with tears,
"Dad! Someone must have stolen it when I left just now!
I'm sure my bracelet was still in the box before I left! But now, it's gone!"
Upon hearing this, Mayor Bourgeois's face immediately darkened. He abruptly stood up and, with an unquestionable, mayoral authority, sternly barked at Chief Roger beside him:
"Roger! Immediately seal off the area! Maintain order! You must find my daughter's bracelet!"
"But, Mayor Bourgeois ..."
Chief Roger stood up, looking troubled. He glanced around at the students and parents,
"We've been here the whole time, and the classroom was very quiet. We didn't notice any suspicious movements."
"Are you implying that my daughter would lie to me?!" Mayor Bourgeois's voice rose several octaves, filled with offended rage.
"No, I don't mean that ..."
"Then someone stole it!"
Chloé shrieked, her gaze, like a venomous snake, swept around the classroom, finally settling, precisely and maliciously, on Marinette,
"Who could it be? Who would be so jealous of me, unable to bear my success?"
Teacher Caline tried to ease the tension: "Chloé, don't worry yet.
Perhaps you accidentally dropped it somewhere? And besides, everyone was in class just now, and no one was moving around."
"No?"
Chloé sneered. She slowly raised her hand and, with her exquisitely manicured finger, pointed directly at Marinette, who was still in shock,
"But I think one person is the most suspicious."
Everyone's gaze followed her finger, focusing on Marinette.
"Although this sounds incredible," Chloé's voice was filled with feigned "heartbreak,"
"But I think it must be her — Marinette."
"What?!"
Alya was the first to stand up, angrily refuting,
"Chloé, don't make false accusations! Marinette didn't even touch your desk just now! It's impossible for her to touch any of your things!"
"Is that so?"
Chloé put on a weak, pathetic, and helpless act, slumping onto the desk, her shoulders slightly shaking, as if she had suffered an immense grievance,
"But... but she was so mean to me just now... she must be jealous... boo hoo... Dad..."
Mayor Bourgeois looked at his daughter's "heartbroken" expression, his anger burning.
He turned to Chief Roger again and said in a commanding tone, "Roger! I order you, immediately conduct a thorough search of every student, right now!"
"That's against regulations, Mayor Bourgeois!"
Chief Roger straightened his back, upholding his principles,
"Without any evidence that Miss Chloé's bracelet was stolen, I cannot search these children! That is a violation of their human rights!"
"Are you defying my orders?" A dangerous glint flashed in Mayor Bourgeois's eyes.
"I am merely performing my duty!"
"Good! Very good!" Mayor Bourgeois laughed in anger, "Roger, from now on, you are fired!"
"What?!" Chief Roger exclaimed in disbelief.
"I... I'm fired?"
"Yes!" Mayor Bourgeois said coldly,
"Because of your incompetence and dereliction of duty, you are fired! Now, you can get out of this classroom!"
Under the absolute power of the Mayor Bourgeois, Chief Roger could only take off his police hat, and with humiliation and unwillingness, he silently left the classroom amidst the sympathetic gazes of all the students.
Seeing that he couldn't command the police, Mayor Bourgeois snorted and walked directly out of the classroom. He was going to pressure the principal.
The atmosphere in the classroom became extremely oppressive for a time.
In the midst of this chaos, Adrien felt something was amiss. The backpack at his feet had been gently bumping against his calf.
He looked around. No one seemed to notice anything unusual. He quietly unzipped his backpack and looked inside —
He saw the Kwami Plagg, holding the glittering, jewel-encrusted bracelet with a smug expression,
and laughing, "Hehe."
Adrien's temples throbbed twice. He whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Plagg! What's going on? Did you take this?"
"I didn't take it!"
Plagg, holding the bracelet that was bigger than its body, shook its little head innocently,
"It fell in by itself! Really! I swear!"
"This is not the time for this, Plagg, give it to me quickly!"
Adrien lowered his voice, his tone carrying an unquestionable command.
Plagg looked at the anxiety and determination on Adrien's face and knew that this was no time for jokes.
Though playful, it also knew what was important. It chuckled and pushed the heavy gold bracelet into Adrien's hand.
"But Adrien,"
Plagg said in a very small voice, "even if you take the bracelet out now, you won't be able to explain it!
Everyone will think you stole something, and then won't you become the thief?"
Adrien took a deep breath. Just as Plagg said, if he were to step forward rashly now,
he, the "son of a fashion titan," could very well be linked to "thief." This risk not only concerned himself but also the Agreste family behind him, and he couldn't afford it.
Before Adrien could come up with a foolproof plan, a loud, firm voice suddenly boomed in the oppressive classroom, like a bolt from the blue.
That was Marinette's father, Tom.
The baker, who usually had a cheerful smile and was like a gentle mountain, now stood tall, like a protective lion guarding his daughter.
His face was devoid of any smile, replaced by a father's inviolable authority:
"I will absolutely not allow anyone, under any fabricated charges, to wrong my daughter!"
His voice echoed in the classroom, every word resonating with conviction, "I believe in my daughter one hundred percent! I believe in Marinette's character!"
Then, Tom turned to Ms. Caline, his eyes filled with both pleading and determination:
"Ms. Caline, I'm also going to see the Principal! I must go!
We cannot let Mayor Bourgeois use his power to harm any child!"
As his words fell, he didn't give anyone a chance to react, striding out of the classroom, his tall figure full of resolve.
Two fathers, one to uphold his daughter's absurd lie, the other to defend his daughter's innocent dignity, walked towards the same destination—the Principal's office.
Ms. Caline looked at the chaotic scene, her face showing deep helplessness and fatigue.
She walked to the center of the classroom, clapped her hands, trying to regain control of the situation: "Alright, students, please calm down first."
Her voice was still gentle, but carried an undeniable calming power, "I believe this matter must be a misunderstanding.
Now, please check your belongings to see if anything is out of place.
Perhaps Chloé's bracelet just accidentally fell somewhere else."
Under the teacher's soothing, the tense atmosphere in the classroom eased slightly.
The students began to whisper and rummage through their backpacks and drawers.
However, the turn of events once again exceeded everyone's expectations.
"Huh? My limited edition hero figurine is gone!" Kim, sitting in the back row, suddenly exclaimed.
"My tablet! My tablet is gone too!" Max on the other side also shouted anxiously.
"My... my lucky hairpin!"
"My collector's edition record!"
Exclamations rose one after another in the classroom, and panic spread like a tide again.
More and more students found that some of their valuable items had mysteriously disappeared.
Just then, Alya suddenly pointed at Chloé's seat and shouted in surprise, "Look! How did Kim's figurine end up in Chloé's drawer!"
Everyone's gaze instantly focused there. The impressive hero figurine that should have been on Kim's desk was now quietly lying in Chloé's empty drawer.
"What?!" Chloé's face was filled with disbelief.
Before she could react, another student discovered a new "clue."
"Max's tablet! It's... it's in Rose's backpack!"
"My hairpin is in Nathan's pencil case!"
"My record... Oh my, it's under Jaden's desk!"
The scene was in complete disarray.
The stolen items appeared in the belongings of another unrelated person in an extremely bizarre way.
Adrien looked at the chaotic scene before him, his eyes suddenly sharp—he immediately understood that this was not simple theft; there must be a supernatural force at play!
It's an Akumatized Person! Some Akumatized Person with "item transfer" or "invisibility" abilities is enjoying creating chaos in the classroom!
And now, it was the best time to take out that "hot potato"!
Taking advantage of everyone's attention being drawn to the chaotic scene, Adrien quietly took out the glittering bracelet from his backpack and quickly slipped it into Nino's open backpack side pocket.
After doing all this, he cleared his throat and pretended to be surprised, saying loudly, "Everyone, look! Chloé's bracelet is here!"
His voice successfully drew everyone's attention.
Following the direction of his finger, everyone saw a glittering corner of the bracelet peeking out from Nino's backpack side pocket.
After a brief commotion, the situation in the classroom temporarily returned to calm.
Meanwhile, in the hallway at the other end of the teaching building, Mayor Bourgeois was striding angrily towards the Principal's office.
His face still showed the rage of being offended, and his leather shoes clicked heavily and urgently on the floor, as if proclaiming his inner injustice.
But as he passed a restroom, he suddenly stopped, looked left and right to confirm the hallway was empty, and pushed the door open, walking inside.
Under the cold tiles and bright lights, he walked to the sink, looked at his face, slightly distorted by anger in the mirror, and slowly turned on the faucet, splashing cold water on his face.
When he looked up again, the angry face in the mirror had turned into weariness and helplessness; the Mayor's dignity disappeared, leaving only a father's deep sigh—he, of course, knew his daughter was lying.
From Chloé's exaggerated acting to her full-of-holes excuses, how could he, a man who had been in politics for half his life, not see through it?
Chloé's clumsy performance was for revenge, to attract attention.
He could even guess that behind this, there might be the shadow of that mysterious force called Hawk Moth.
But what could he do?
"I've gotten used to it..." he said to himself in the mirror, in a low, almost desperate voice.
He had gotten used to Chloé's willfulness, used to paying for her mistakes, used to using power and status to smooth the obstacles in her life; this habit was ingrained like an addiction.
Just as he was sinking into deep self-loathing, a girl's voice suddenly rang out.
"Hello, Mayor Bourgeois."
Mayor Bourgeois's body trembled, and he sharply turned his head, asking sternly, "Who?!"
He vigilantly looked towards the source of the voice, where there was nothing.
"It's me, Mr. Mayor."
The voice rang out again, and this time, he saw clearly—a figure, like a manifesting ghost, slowly emerged from the air.
It was Sabrina, his daughter's follower, but at this moment, Sabrina's face was expressionless, her eyes empty, yet a strange smile not her own hung on her lips.
"Hawk Moth?!"
Mayor Bourgeois instantly understood. Although he couldn't see the mastermind, he knew that the one speaking to him through the girl's mouth was the being he both respected and feared: "What have you done to her?"
"I didn't do anything."
"Sabrina's" voice changed to Hawk Moth's unique deep, magnetic male voice, "It was your beloved daughter who actively brought this innocent girl to me.
And this girl, because she 'feared disappointing her friend's expectations,' was Akumatized.
I merely went with the flow, granting her a bit of power to become invisible and to swap item locations within a small range."
Hawk Moth's voice was full of mockery: "Besides, Mayor Bourgeois, didn't you already know in your heart? From the beginning, your daughter lied to you."
"Yes... that's right..."
He slowly turned around, looking at himself in the mirror again, and said in a hoarse voice,
"I know... I know my daughter lied to me... but what can I do? I've already... gotten used to it."
"Used to it?"
Hawk Moth's tone suddenly became meaningful, "But these past few months, haven't you been releasing your true self?
That hypocritical politician, bound by rules and regulations, is slowly transforming back into the artist, the dreamer he once was."
These words, like a sharp sword, precisely pierced the softest, most untouchable part of Mayor Bourgeois's heart.
"Perhaps when facing family, you still retain political favoritism without principles.
But everything you are doing now, isn't it what you truly want to do? Do you still remember your dream, Mayor Bourgeois?"
"Stop talking..." Mayor Bourgeois roared in pain.
Dream, that word long buried by the dust of years.
"Yes, I am the Mayor now,"
He wasn't like this before.
Before becoming Mayor, he was also an artist who fantasized about changing the world with light and shadow.
However, the position of Mayor, this power, and even his marriage... all were brought to him by his wife, the fashion queen Audrey.
From the very beginning, he had no right to change any of this.
"Now, with my 'help,' or rather, with my indirect influence,"
Hawk Moth continued to tempt,
"You can do many things you want to do. Those who oppose you dare not interfere, because I am here."
"Yes..." Mayor Bourgeois looked at himself in the mirror, his eyes becoming complex and lost, saying in a tone that was both like finding his dream and full of helplessness,
"Because of you... or rather, with your indirect help, I can finally do some of the things I want to do.
I can reject boring proposals, I can promote the art projects I truly want to build... Those people dare not interfere with me, because... because you are behind me."
"Then why are you sighing here?"
Hawk Moth's voice again filled with temptation,
"Isn't it good to maintain that anger? Go directly to the Principal's office and cause a scene, use your power to make everyone submit, and get everything your beloved daughter wants.
Isn't that good?"
"Is that... really good?" Mayor Bourgeois looked at his pained self in the mirror and retorted.
"Perhaps." Hawk Moth did not answer directly—he knew the seed had been planted.
Mayor Bourgeois took a deep breath and stood up straight: "I don't want to discuss anything with you anymore."
With that, he straightened his tie and pushed open the door, walking out of the restroom.
When he reappeared in the hallway, the fatigue and helplessness on his face had vanished, replaced by a feigned thunderous rage.
In the Principal's office, the atmosphere was as tense as a string about to snap.
Principal Damocles paced restlessly behind his desk.
Before him, Mayor Bourgeois and Tom stood like two confronting mountains, neither willing to yield an inch.
"I don't care! Damocles!"
Mayor Bourgeois tapped the desk hard with his finger, making a "thump-thump" sound,
"My daughter's bracelet was stolen in this school! I demand an immediate search of all relevant students! This is the fastest and most effective method!"
"I absolutely disagree!"
Tom's booming voice was full of anger, "Without any evidence, you cannot treat every child as a criminal!
This is an insult to their character! My daughter will never accept such an unreasonable search!"
"Mr. Tom, please calm down!"
Damocles tried to mediate, wiping the cold sweat from his brow, torn between the two,
"Mr. Mayor, I understand your feelings, but searching students indeed requires more sufficient reasons and procedures..."
A fierce debate about power, principles, and paternal love officially began in this small Principal's office.