Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.
IMPORTANT A/N: Hawkmoth's name is changed to Kochou (蝴蝶 or "butterfly" in Japanese). His akumas now call him "Kochou-sama". I've changed his name in all the previous chapters. Sorry for the confusion, I'll explain further below.
Ladybug had been in burning buildings, broken swimming pools and an abandoned construction site for akuma fighting. She had given interviews at parks. She had dodged falling debris on the streets.
But she had never given an official report at the local TV station.
Ladybug's hands fidgeted with a piece of paper nervously. Next to her, Black Cat remained still, but the frantic swishing of his fake tail betrayed his true feelings. In a fit of nervousness, the boy had rambled about how TV stations were purposely made complicated so it would take terrorists longer to reach the broadcast room, and therefore harder for them to control the station. Ladybug had been impressed with his knowledge on construction and archiculture, but they forced themselves to return to their focus.
After the explosion of the moon, the public demanded a scientific explanation. When the government failed to give them that, the public turned to supernatural reasons. Kunigigaoka Town was the only place that had frequent and genuine "supernatural" incidents, or locally known as akuma attacks. The humble town of Kunigigaoka became an overnight sensation with its akumas and superheroes, and people flocked there in search for answers.
Ladybug and Black Cat had searched and searched for an akuma the night the moon exploded, but they couldn't find one. The next morning, the general fear and unease of the public brought upon two new akumas, but none of them were linked to the moon's explosion. Shortly afterwards the double akuma attacks, Kochou sent out butterflies in the shape of his face and claimed he did not blow the moon up. He said that his only intention was to get the miraculouses. Nobody really believed in Kochou, but so far, there had been no evidence that Kochou was responsible for the moon incident. Therefore, the reason for the moon exploding remained a mystery.
The country, no, the world, highly looked up to the superhero duo, the only known real magical figures of justice. They believed Ladybug and Black Cat could restore the moon in due time but when they failed to do so, public distrust grew. Ladybug had even performed her Miraculous Ladybug power in hopes that it could remove the damage, but the moon was not repaired.
A building near Kunigigaoka Town had also exploded shortly after the moon did, killing several people. However, Ladybug and Black Cat were unable to investigate further into the case, so they deemed it as not related to the moon.
After a week of constant searching and brainstorming, the duo decided to openly broadcast their findings at a TV station.
Ladybug looked down at her script she and her partner had prepared. Nausea rose in her stomach but she forced it down. It was absolutely terrifying that the entire world would have their eyes and her and Black Cat. Translators had been recruited and the broadcast was scheduled to go live around the globe. And then couldn't even find something worth mentioning.
Black Cat wasn't feeling much better. His fingers stiffly grasped his script and the words seemed to float off the paper. But his stage fright wasn't the only thing bothering him.
Funnily enough, Black Cat recalled that the government did not offer much support. Perhaps they had something to hide, but he wasn't one to spread rumours and conspiracies publicly. But still he felt uneasy. He decided to talk to Ladybug about it after the broadcast, as it wouldn't do her good to worry her at the moment.
"It's almost time," the producer went towards their seats and announced. The duo gave a curt nod as a reply.
"I feel like we're going to be huge disappointments," Black Cat muttered in Ladybug's ear. "After all, we didn't find anything."
"Perhaps it's not related to us at all," Ladybug suggested. "Not everything can be solved by our powers, and not every problem is caused by Kochou." She sighed and pushed her bangs from her face. "But everyone's relying on us."
"And we'll be talking to the whole world," Black Cat shivered at the thought. It was a huge hurdle for a socially awkward person like him to cross. It was already difficult for him to talk to a single classmate, but now he had to talk to people across the globe. It was making him physically ill.
"We can do it," Ladybug murmured, half to herself, half to Black Cat. "We have to do it."
"We'll be on air in ten seconds!" the producer exclaimed. "Positions ready!"
Black Cat and Ladybug exchanged a grim look, before they turned to face the camera in unison.
It's okay, Black Cat tried to soothe himself. It's just talking to a camera. It's like discussing theories with Ladybug. No one will mind if you make a tiny mistake. But still he felt his nerves rising meteorically, and he was scared he would actually be frozen with fear on screen.
"Five… four…"
He suddenly felt a warm, smaller hand clutch his briefly. Without looking, he knew it was Ladybug. She must have noticed how he felt, and was trying to reassure him. Black Cat looked at her from his peripheral vision, and he could see a hint of a smile on her face.
She's trying to help me even though she's also frightened, Black Cat thought. He instinctively smiled back even though he didn't feel good at all.
"Three… two…"
This is it. We're facing the world. No turning back.
"One."
After the broadcast, Ladybug's mind was still in a daze. She quietly went to the water dispenser and drank a full cup of water. Black Cat did the same, too tired from their speech to even speak to each other.
A few minutes later, Black Cat murmured, "I want to talk to you about something."
Ladybug was surprised, but upon seeing the urgency in his expression, nodded.
"I think the government knows something we don't," Black Cat whispered. "They should at least give us some intel or send some special troops to help us, but they didn't. They also keep on avoiding our questions."
"This is no laughing matter, Black Cat," Ladybug replied. "I know we're superheroes, but our life isn't a superhero movie where the government is always an evil mastermind. But now you mention it… it does seem a little weird."
"I know," Black Cat turned around and saw an unfamiliar man walk towards them, a few others following him. The stern expression the man had and the suits he and his subordinates wore gave out an aura of authority and importance.
The man strode towards them and bowed twice to each of them. "Good afternoon, Ladybug, Black Cat. I am Karasuma from the Ministry of Defence of Japan," he took out an identification card. "We represent the government, and," a red glint appeared in his eyes, "we would like speak with you. Are you free at the moment?"
"Good afternoon, Karasuma-san," Black Cat and Ladybug bowed in unison, both of them feeling a bit intimidated by the man's piercing stare and build. Black Cat gave Ladybug a look as if to say "see, the government does knows something". Karasuma took their silence as a sign that they were indeed free.
"Let's talk outside," Karasuma said, which was code for the two heroes to follow him. When they exited the TV station, a car with tinted windows was waiting for them.
Ladybug and Black Cat looked at each other again. Karasuma briefly wondered if they could communicate via eye contact. After a moment of pause, Ladybug awkwardly stepped into the car, Black Cat following suit.
"We are going to a top-secret facility," Karasuma stared hard at them. "We trust you not to tell anyone, including your family and friends."
Okay. This is serious business. Black Cat prepared himself for what he might see. A secret zombie apocalypse? A mutant person? Or another superhero like the ones in Sonic Ninja?
The entire ride was silent, and Karasuma used his chance to observe the two superheroes.
They're middle school teenagers, no doubt about that. Personally, Karasuma wouldn't let teenagers be superheroes due to their inexperience, but from what he'd heard, these two seemed to doing fine. Besides, he knew a class of ordinary middle school students would have to achieve something virtually impossible in the coming year…
They're probably serious and quiet. Responsible, perhaps. Not used to crowds. Karasuma listed the things he knew about them. So far, they seem mature for their age. They make good workers. Karasuma found himself approving them. It must be tough, dealing with school work and what they call "akumas". And now they had to keep an eye out for the mysterious creature that would be roaming their neighbourhood.
"Sorry for withholding the information about the moon's explosion, but you must understand it may cause public hysteria," Karasuma explained once they had reached their destination. "Once again, you must not tell anyone what you will see."
Ladybug gulped in anticipation. She was more of an independent person, but at that moment, she was eternally grateful that she had a partner. A partner she could discuss stuff with, including whatever the government was hiding.
They walked through several security procedures. One guard wanted to confiscate Black Cat's baton, but a few sharp glares from Karasuma later, Black Cat was allowed to keep his weapon. The hero was in awe yet afraid of the power Karasuma had.
"Recently, we've discovered an unidentified creature that claims it was responsible for the moon incident." Karasuma went to the main point once the trio reached the final chamber. "It is very powerful and can reach up to a speed of Mach 20. It cannot be damaged by bullets; we had to specially invent a material that could damage it."
Mach 1 is the speed of sound! Black Cat inwardly gasped in horror. A feeling of dread settled inside him. Just how fast is this creature?
"Most importantly, it says it will blow up the world, our world, a year from now," Karasuma stated bluntly. "The way the moon did."
Ladybug and Black Cat stared at each other, their eyes wide with shock and fear. Everything they had, everyone they knew was going to disappear in a year? By a superhuman monster? This was even worse than Kochou!
Black Cat didn't want to believe it, but this was coming from a government official. He would have no reason to fool them. Still, the idea was ridiculous. Had he somehow landed in an actual superhero movie about defeating the bad guy who could destroy the world?
"I-is there a way to stop it?" Ladybug managed to say. Secretly, Karasuma was impressed by how Ladybug's concerns were of solutions instead of freaking out about the world ending. Karasuma had to admit he liked these two and their composure.
"I believe you would like to see the creature for yourselves first," Karasuma replied shortly, and pressed a button on a wall. The metal plates in front of the trio began to rise, revealing a transparent wall behind it.
Automatically, Ladybug and Black Cat readied their weapons. Their hearts felt like they were about to jump out of the chests, while their eyes trained on the rising metal plates.
The duo expected to see a terrifying, Godzilla-like creature with impermeable skin and sharp claws.
Surprisingly, they saw that the creature had long yellow tentacles and had an extremely round smiley face as its head. It was dressed it what looked like a robe with a graduation hat. It waggled its tentacles around and gave a huge smile.
It didn't look very strong or powerful. It just looked like a silly, squishy octopus.
Upon seeing the flabbergasted heroes, the creature gave a loud, shrill shriek which shocked Black Cat so much he nearly dropped his baton. The creature rapidly changed its clothes in a few seconds and then screamed, "OH MY GOD! IT'S LADYBUG AND BLACK CAT! I AM A HUGE FAN!"
Whatever the heroes was expecting, it was certainly not that.
"I've heard so much about you!" the creature gushed, its face turning from yellow to pink. "I-I even created my own merchandise!" The creature flailed around, showing off the hand-sewn sweater it was wearing, which had a ladybug and a paw print pattern on it. "See? I spent so much time doing that!"
"Look at this beanie!" the creature continued to proclaim, and prodded at the woolen item on its head. "It even has cat ears! And I'd sewn little ladybugs on it!"
Ladybug and Black Cat didn't have time to react to this absurd creature and its fascination with them. They could only look blankly.
"And also," the creature took out a small book from apparently nowhere. "I CREATED MY OWN FAN MANGA ABOUT YOU TWO!" It quickly flipped through the pages and they saw simplistic drawings of Ladybug, Black Cat and the akumas. "I've named it Meowraculous Ladybug: Tales of Ladybug and Black Cat! THIS IS MY FAVOURITE SCENE!"
A highly detailed two page spread of a blushing Ladybug receiving a rose from Black Cat was revealed. There were even bubbles and sparkles like in a shojou manga. Karasuma, Ladybug and Black Cat remained poker-faced. The creature was evidently upset at their lack of reaction.
"You know, I even have cosplay of you two!" the creature grinned. Another creature same as the first one appeared out of thin air.
"That's just its after image. It uses its high speed to do that," Karasuma explained to the two teenagers.
One of the creature's image was dressed in a polka dot costume, mask and pigtail wig like Ladybug's, while the other was dressed in Black Cat's suit, complete with his mask, hair and cat ears.
"Lucky Charm!" the image of the creature yelled in a high pitched voice, and it flung its makeshift yoyo up to mimic Ladybug's pose.
"I don't sound like that," the real Ladybug found herself saying.
"Cataclysm!" the other image growled in a deep voice.
"I also don't sound like that," a baffled Black Cat said.
Karasuma, Ladybug and Black Cat could only watch as the images of the creature pretended to fight against some invisible enemy. The creature made its two images do the customary fistbump, and then the images merged. The creature returned to normal, or as normal it could be, with its yellow skin and graduation robe.
"Ahh, I can't believe I'm finally meeting you two in person! The superheroes that defend this town! What an honour!" the creature gave a big smile.
Black Cat and Ladybug stared at this creature that was supposed to destroy the world. And it was a mega fan of them?
"So. You will blow the Earth up," Ladybug stated, trying to act like the creature's earlier display hadn't happened.
Green stripes appeared on the creature's skin and it gave a funny laugh. "Nurufufufu! Yes, that's the case, unless someone manages to kill me. But that's virtually impossible."
"We are revealing this creature's existence to you because firstly, it is the reason for the moon's explosion," Karasuma crossed his arms, clearly unamused by the creature's antics.
"Secondly...?" Black Cat prompted.
Karasuma sighed. "Secondly, we had made a deal with the creature. It will be the homeroom teacher of Kunigigaoka Middle School's class 3-E in the following term, and that certain class will have to assassinate it within a year, or else it will blow up the world. As the protectors of Kunigigaoka Town, I assume you would want to know."
It felt like someone had high-fived the heroes' faces. With a chair. Twenty chairs.
That's my class! Ladybug and Black Cat thought in unison, but of course they didn't know they were thinking of the same thing.
Crap! We have to kill this thing that could destroy the world? Why us? We're the End Class! Black Cat screamed in his mind.
It's going to be our teacher? We have to kill it? 3-E as assassins?! No way! Ladybug reacted similarly to her partner.
"I-isn't it unreasonable to choose middle school students to kill it?" Black Cat stuttered, clearly horrified.
I should be the one saying that, Ladybug thought. At least Black Cat's not in 3-E. He doesn't have this problem. She noticed that no one in her class seemed to look like Black Cat so she presumed he was studying somewhere else.
"The creature is oddly insistent on teaching that particular class," Karasuma replied with a stoic face. In reality, he also found it puzzling, but he assumed the creature thought middle schoolers would be unable to kill it so it could keep its life.
"What if it tries to hurt us… them?" Ladybug quickly amended her mistake.
"It will not harm the students. This is also part of the deal."
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of them," the creature's beady eyes glinted almost maliciously, and both of the heroes felt a shiver down their spines. They were suddenly afraid this superhuman creature would discover their identities.
"Also, I won't try to steal your miraculouses. I'm not working for Kochou," the creature stated simply. Its face turned pink again as it sighed, "Why would I ever steal from my idols?"
Yeah, because that sounds very trustworthy, Ladybug thought with a deadpan expression.
"But I can smell you from over here even with that wall," the creature drawled and jabbed a wiggly arm at a cluster of small holes on the wall that was used for verbal communication. "I wonder… do you smell the same when you're not transformed?"
"It has an acute sense of smell," Karasuma murmured.
Ladybug instinctively stepped back, fearful eyes roaming across the creature. It didn't just have super speed, but it also had a super sense of smell? How could they even protect their identities?
"Wait," Black Cat stared at his ring and wondered what would happen if he used Cataclysm on a living being. "Can we help with the assassination?"
Karasuma pressed the button on the wall and the metal plates began to lower, which sent the creature in a flurry. "W-wait Karasuma-san! Now that the shock has settled in, I have so much to ask them! P-please, I'm begging you, let me see them longer-"
Karasuma downright ignored the creature and gestured for the two to follow him. "We'll talk in another room."
The trio walked down a corridor, their footsteps echoing. They rounded a bend and entered an almost empty room, the only objects being a table and several crates. Black Cat noted that the room was soundproof. He remembered how his club had once booked a similar room and he had a terrific time rocking out an electric guitar.
"You two have special powers that can aid us in killing the creature. Especially Black Cat's Cataclysm. Can it destroy the creature?" Karasuma asked.
Black Cat swallowed. Starting from his first day of being a hero, he knew the grave consequences of using Cataclysm on akumas and humans. "I've never used it to kill anyone, but I assume it works."
A hint of a smile appeared on Karasuma's face. "Good. We'll be relying on you two as a last resort. Right now, we'll be training the students to reach their full potential as assassins," he said and took out a crate. He opened the crate and the heroes saw it was full of green, rubber knives.
"This specially created knife," Karasuma brandished one of them, "can cut through the creature as if it is tofu. Please get a few of these for defense purposes. We also have guns and bullets made out of the same material, but you may prefer knives. No offence, but I believe you do not have a lot of experience in handling guns."
Black Cat thought of the days when he owned a Nerf gun and used to shoot at his siblings for fun. Nope, that doesn't count.
"Also," Karasuma turned to them. "Would you like us to enroll you into that 3-E as transfer students? Judging from your capabilities, you have potential to become assassins."
Both of them gulped nervously. They were already in 3-E, so it would be disastrous if the government wanted their superhero selves to enroll too. But they couldn't just tell Karasuma about their identities.
"Umm, sorry, but I refuse the offer," Black Cat was the first to speak. "I'm… I'm a superhero, not an assassin. I'm not qualified."
"Same," Ladybug added quietly. "I… don't think I'm capable. We can only fight akumas."
Karasuma gave them a hard, serious look that was strangely filled with a bit of respect and pity. "It must be too difficult for you two to juggle the lives of a student, a superhero, and an assassin. Well, it's getting late, so we'll be taking you back. Remember not to tell anyone about this."
They both nodded solemnly and Karasuma escorted them out of the building. They barely had a chance to look at their surroundings before they were ushered into the car again.
Ladybug's mind was bursting with possibilities. What if the creature was secretly in league in Kochou? It could snatch their miraculous away at Mach speed and they would be completely helpless. And her classmates and her would have to be assassins! The sweet Kurahashi, who wouldn't harm a fly, would have to kill their homeroom teacher? She would have to work with individuals like that pervert Okajima to assassinate a being that could destroy the world? How could they do it?
Another even more terrifying thought: what if they could not do it? The entire world would be gone and everyone would die, and nobody would know why and it would be all their fault. Ladybug's stomach twisted; literally everyone was depending on her and her class. A bunch of inexperienced, useless idiots was the world's last hope.
Ladybug fiddled with the knife in her lap, her head feeling a little dizzy from all of the thinking. What about Yukimura-sensei? She is our homeroom- but now she won't be teaching us because the creature will take her place. Will she be fired? It's a shame, really, because I like her.
Ladybug turned to her partner, intending to speak to him about her worries, but he was slumped against the back of his seat, his cheek pressed against a car window. Something pulled at Ladybug's heartstrings; he looked so peaceful when he was asleep, but she couldn't talk with him at the moment, so she had to keep her thoughts to herself. Black Cat was probably exhausted by the events of the day, so she shouldn't wake him up. That would be extremely selfish of her.
But the problem was, Ladybug felt like she was almost going crazy from her concerns and negative thoughts. The girl was reminded that Tikki told her it wasn't healthy to worry all the time. She needed a break from everything she had discovered that day. Ladybug took a deep breath and massaged her forehead. Think happy thoughts think happy thoughts-
Her best friend was currently asleep. Her other best friend was currently part of her superhero suit. Her other other best friend Nakamura knew nothing about the creature yet. Ladybug shut her eyes tightly. She felt like a small boat struggling to keep afloat in an ocean of troubles. It was just her.
Or was it?
Ladybug usually didn't let herself daydream due to its impracticability, but now it seemed like the ideal getaway from reality and a way to de-stress.
What if Black Cat joined 3-E? They would have to work together to kill the creature, so she wouldn't be alone. He wouldn't be staying in his suit all the time, so she would probably know his civilian identity. Would their real selves get along? Would he find out she was Ladybug?
What did he look like under the mask? His yellow-green cat-like eyes were probably fake, so what kind of real eyes did he have? Was he as cute as he was in civilian form?
Who would he be friends with? With the popular boys like Isogai and Maehara? Or with the quieter boys like Mimura and Sugaya (she did not want him and Okajima to interact)? He mentioned he was good at math, but what other subjects did he like?
Butterflies fluttered inside Ladybug's stomach. The idea of spending her school days with Black Cat (or his civilian form) was quite attractive and it made her heart go fuzzy. It wasn't just because she had a crush on him (although that was a big factor), but he was her partner, one of the few people she felt comfortable with. She would feel better at school if he was around. Ladybug smiled secretly inside when she thought of doing projects and eating lunches with him. At day, they would be students, and at night, they would be superheroes and they would patrol the town. It seemed like the ideal life if they didn't have to be assassins and there wasn't this huge threat looming ahead.
The subtle bumps and shifts of the ride was beginning to lure Ladybug into dreamland. Before long, she too was asleep, her slumbering body leaning towards her side of car.
There was an empty space between the young heroes as they slept.
Perhaps, one day, the distance between them would diminish.
During their nightly patrol, Black Cat and Ladybug were less tired than usual due to their little nap in the car, but that wasn't the only thing keeping them up.
After they returned to their respective homes, they had continued to text each other using the Ladyblog. Neither of them were great theorists, so they decided to talk about the practical problems. How the creature was extremely dangerous. How their identities could be revealed at any second. And consequently, how their family and friends could be in danger.
When they finally met on top of the town library, they were tired of talking about the creature. But there was a sober aura surrounding them.
The earth could end a year from now.
And it would be their fault if they couldn't kill the creature.
Black Cat stared at his clenched fist, and was reminded of the unique power he possessed. There was no way for him to be fast enough to touch the creature. And Black Cat didn't think he was ready to kill.
Sometimes Black Cat hoped the creature was just a crazy dinosaur, not an sentient being who seemed to be as intelligent as humans. It would be like killing an actual human. Plus, it would be his teacher…
But now, he had other things to worry about.
"Hey Ladybug."
"Yeah?"
Black Cat coughed. "This may sound a little weird, but… what do I smell like?" he asked bluntly.
A brilliant blush rose on Ladybug's cheeks and she choked. She knew it was strictly for work purposes but she still felt embarrassed.
From his expression, she could see Black Cat was similarly embarrassed. "Uh, umm, because the creature has an amazing sense of smell, we have to change how we smell," he tried to explain his weird request.
"Yeah, I know," Ladybug murmured. She steeled herself and leaned in closer to Black Cat, and it felt like red hot flames were erupting on her cheeks. She had rarely been willingly so close to him before.
This is awkward… Black Cat resisted the urge to back away and retain his personal space.
"You smell like… cheese with a bit of laundry detergent," Ladybug gave her verdict.
A roguish grin appeared on his face. "I knew it. My kwami's cheese stinks. What does yours eat again?"
"Cookies," Ladybug backed away, shifting nervously on her feet. She self-consciously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Huh, you must smell sweet," Black Cat thought out loud. Ladybug shot him a glare. He quickly waved his hands as if that could ward off her apparent anger. "S-sorry if that sounded weird," he rambled, hoping he hadn't pissed her off too much.
"But anyways…" He stepped towards Ladybug, nose tilting slightly. Every muscle in Ladybug's body tensed and suddenly she was hyper aware of everything around her. The warm, humid spring air. His breath next to her ear. Her sweaty hands inside her suit. Most of her wanted him to get away as soon as possible, but a small part wanted him to stay.
Then he moved back and that lapse ended.
"I think you do smell sweet, kind of like… sugar. And a bit like syrup." He gave a vague wave of his hands, cheeks tinted pink.
"Alright. Maybe I'll buy some perfume to cover it up," Ladybug tried to force her cheeks to return to a normal colour.
"And I'll get a new bar of soap or something," Black Cat muttered. "Maybe I'll cut my kwami's cheese rations." He could almost hear Plagg's protests within his suit.
Ladybug spun her yoyo. "Now that's taken care of, let's go."
That was one thing Black Cat liked about his partner. She didn't seem to mind his awkwardness. At least, not for long. She wouldn't dwell on the past.
"It seems a bit impossible that the creature can smell us," Black Cat said as he took the lead.
"Well, even dogs have six hundred million smell receptors, which is around fifty times the smell receptors humans have," Ladybug mentioned, remembering something her ex-teacher at the main campus had said. "And they're not superhuman creatures."
"That's cool. I won't know all that because I'm not that good with biology," Black Cat admitted. His hand brushed past his pocket, where he had put the specially made knife used for dealing with the creature.
"The creature is very dangerous. I hope that class can kill it soon," Ladybug said softly.
They both knew the burden of saving the world was resting heavily on their shoulders, but unfortunately, they could not share the problems their civilian selves had. It was too dangerous.
A beat. "Yeah, I hope so too."
At around half past eleven at night, Sugaya received a chat message from someone on pixiv. The boy blinked blearily at the screen. The message was surprisingly long and grammatically accurate. They had even taken the care to use capital letters, which they usually didn't do so.
Ray: I feel like I'd been forcing you to draw stuff, y'know, the couple drawings on the Ladyblog. You don't strike me as a romantic person (no offence) sooo I kind of feel bad for pushing you. Sorry. I'll still support you no matter what you draw because you're an awesome artist. So don't feel pressured to draw what you think the fans will like, 'cause I don't think that's really fun for you…
Ray: Sorry again.
Me: It's ok
Me: It's nice of you to care
Ray: wow you're still awake?
Me: It's just 11 something and it's the holidays so
Ray: lmao some days i don't even sleep at all
Ray: sleep is for the WEAK
Ray: also umm
Ray: i drew you
Then they sent a simple drawing of a bean pole with random colour splatters on it. Sugaya chuckled out loud. It looked like a kid's drawing but he appreciated it anyway.
He was happy that they said they would support him no matter what he drew. After the Evillustrator incident, his peers seemed to compliment his art whenever they had the chance. Sugaya was glad and knew they meant well, but still, it seemed a bit superficial.
His akuma wasn't well known due to it happening on the remote 3-E campus, so it wasn't possible for his internet fan to know he was akumatized into Evillustrator. So the reason for their kindness probably wasn't because of his akuma.
Or was it?
An unhappy boy dragged his feet into his room. He gloomily stared at the notice that had sent him to the depths of hell, or more commonly known as the infamous "E as in End" class. Just two weeks of being in that class was insufferable, and he longed to escape it. Unfortunately, it wasn't even possible unless his grades improved greatly.
Why can't I be smarter… why can't I be better… why do I fail no matter how hard I study… why can't I impress my family…
The boy resisted the urge to tear the paper up, instead he carefully folded it into a small square. He sighed and half-heartedly took out a book and began to read it, but his attention wasn't on the book at all.
Kochou ran his thumb over a photo of Ladybug and Black Cat. He stopped and studied their expressions, so free from pain and suffering. Kochou's finger brushed past their frozen smiles and reached Ladybug's earrings, then Black Cat's ring.
"One day, I'll get what I deserve."
A/N: Regarding Hawkmoth's name change:
Honestly, I had always associated Which Partner's butterfly miraculous villain with Miraculous Ladybug's Hawkmoth, so whenever I wrote about Hawkmoth/ Kochou in this fic I thought of the Hawkmoth from ML. It was partly because I was too preoccupied and excited by the love square business to come up with an original villain.
Now, I've begun to properly develop Kochou and he's a tad bit different from Hawkmoth/ Gabriel. I had also rewritten some of Kochou's parts in the previous chapters (namely in chapters 1, 3, 6 and 11) so you can check it out as it may hint to his arc ;)
NEWS ABOUT CHIBAHAYA WEEK 2018!
It will take place from 12/7 (Hayami's birthday) to 18/7. The prompts are as follows:
Day 1: Birthday
Day 2: Fear
Day 3: Eyes
Day 4: Date
Day 5: Partners/ Practice
Day 6: Music/ Dance
Day 7: AU/ Bullseye
I'll be reblogging stuff under my tumblr blog assclass-conspiracies but you can join it here too! Fanfictions are welcome!
Here's a question for my readers! Which corner of the love square do you like the most? LadyBlack, ChibaHaya, RinCat, or ChiBug (ship names by fumiko-matsubara on tumblr or Fumiko Matsubara here yes she's the one who draws the fanarts)? I personally prefer LadyBlack and that's why they appear the most lol.
Also, this chapter wasn't even supposed to be a chapter, it was supposed to be a part of the next one. Well. Things happen. The next chapter will definitely feature an akuma who may or may not be based after an akuma from Miraculous Ladybug. Who do you think will be akumatized?
I'm pretty sure you all know Nakamura is ladybugxblackcat-otp on the Ladyblog and Ray on pixiv. I chose the name "Ray" for her because an alternative reading of one of the kanji of her name 莉 is "rei" and since Nakamura seems to be really into Western culture, I made it "Ray", an English word which sounds similar to "rei".
To all the Karma fans out there, I now have an idea for Karma's akuma. He won't be the next one to appear, but he'll be out eventually.
Now replies to reviews! I'm super happy that a lot of you are excited for the future of this fic! (^3^)
foxchick1: Oh yeah… I mean this is Korosensei we're talking about… he has his methods ;)
Autistic-Grizzly: Thank you! Korosensei will play a bigger part coming on. I'm saving Kayano's akuma for later, plus it would kind of be in the way of her tentacle arc if she gets akumatized in the previous chapter.
KumihoSei: Aww thanks! There will be more hurt and comfort :)))
Guest (the one who talked about assassination skills): Thanks! I suppose their hand to hand combat will improve, but it's nowhere near, let's say, Isogai and Maehara's standards. That would be too OP. Their free running skills will also improve. And of course they'll be the sniper duo :))
Guest (the one who has one question): Thank you so much! You're awesome too :D Love ya!
DreamDuelist: Thank you! I'm sure a lot of your questions are answered in this chapter. Bitch-sensei will appear when it's time. As for your comment about Chiba and Hayami getting closer, I'll rather not answer… ;)
Special thanks to Fumiko Matsubara for giving me advice about the Hawkmoth/ Kochou name change thing!
Thank you for reading! Please review! :D