Ren found Makoto waiting for him after messaging him to come visit her in her room long after everyone had retired to their rooms. They spent the rest of the day doing more fun stuff with their new friend, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, ending the evening by dining at a local restaurant for dinner. On the way back to the hotel, the group asked Marinette if she has other plans tomorrow with her class. Fortunately, she doesn't, and accepted their invitation to hang out.
According to the schedule, Makoto had a meeting with the other chaperones and Miss Kawakami in the morning after breakfast, but the rest of their afternoon is free and there was plenty of time to make plans.
Tonight, however, Ren would've loved planning a private date with his girlfriend on what they should do tomorrow, except this is no time to speak of romance. Makoto promised to explain later on how she first encountered Marinette and how they became friends. It became plainly obvious to Ren that there's more to this consoling the girl while she had a bad day than he realized, recalling the look of uncomfortable dread on Marinette's expression when he questioned her.
Did something bad happen to Marinette at the airport?
If so, how did Makoto get involved?
"Thanks for coming," Makoto greeted him. "I'm sorry for bringing you here this late."
"Not at all." Ren assured her there was nothing to apologize for, sitting down beside her and giving her an affectionate kiss on the cheek. "I was thinking of what we should do together tomorrow, just the two of us."
"That sounds lovely, but that's not exactly why I asked you here. You see, it's about Marinette..."
Ren noticed a hint of concern on his girlfriend's face. "Why? Is she okay?"
"No, she's fine. I texted her after we parted ways." Makoto was glad their Parisian friend had given them her phone number, that way the student president could check up on her from time to time. "I did promise you that I'd explain how I met her... and to be honest, I worry for her."
Ren wasn't sure where Makoto was going with this, but he knew it must be serious and encouraged her to speak. "Go on."
"Well, I first met her in the restroom at the airport where she was crying and..." And from there, Makoto narrated in full, long details to how she spotted the poor girl getting harassed by a girl named Chloe, followed her into the women's public restroom and convinced Marinette to confide in her.
She repeated what Marinette had told her; how Chloe accused her of stealing away Sabrina and their teacher refused to hear reason because she told Marinette to set an example.
How Chloe always abused Sabrina and treated her like a servant, but also took great pleasure in bullying Marinette and no one did anything to stop it because Chloe's father is an incompetent and corrupt mayor who abuses his authority to allow his daughter's cruelty to go unpunished.
How Marinette's parents always stood by and never intervened every time Chloe harassed their daughter without doing anything to protect Marinette, disregarding the situation as 'harmless teenage drama' even when their child's suffering happens in front of their eyes.
Silently listening to all of this made Ren feel like he wanted to throw up after hearing everything Marinette had gone through. "I kind of figured something bad happened to Marinette that made her stay silent. But it appears there are more apathetic adults in not just Japan, but in Paris as well, since they're practically allowing this Chloe brat to get away with her bullying."
"I think so too," Makoto agreed solemnly. "And on that morning, I saw Marinette come storming out of her room in tears. I didn't press further because I suspect she won't talk about it. Something must've happened to make her cry again."
"Perhaps we should speak with her tomorrow," Ren suggested. "We can't ignore this."
"We could try, but we shouldn't push her on the subject. Even though we're getting to know each other, she might be hesitant or scared to talk. That's the case with most victims of bullying."
Ren knew his girlfriend was correct. If they tried pushing Marinette to talk, poor girl may grow suspicious of their intentions and will remain silent. "All right, but we should let Ann and Ryuji know about it too."
MARINETTE: I had such a great time! The room here is very nice, and the tropical Hawaiin cuisine is delicious. I tried hula dancing for the first time, it was great! When I flew over the sea while parasailing, it felt as if I was flying for real! After that, I tried do go surfing, but my balance wasn't so good. Then I went snorkeling in one of the reefs and a sea turtle swam up next to me!
Around that time, Marinette was in her room and happily texting Zoe about the details of her first day in Hawaii. She sent some pictures and a few seconds later, Zoe responded with a happy emoji. The pictures had been taken shortly after Marinette and her group finished either hula dancing, surfing, parasailing and snorkeling.
ZOE: You did all of that in one day? I'm a little jealous, I wish I was there with you. And a sea turtle? Cool! I wonder what Wayzz would say.
MARINETTE: Be sure to tell him about it. And if he feels like he's got competition, tell him not to worry. I still adore him.
ZOE: Got it. Anyway, I don't recognize the kids with you. They're not the ones in your class. Who are they?
MARINETTE: They're my new friends. I met them while I was in Japan for a short time. They're here on a class trip, just like mine is.
ZOE: They look like a fun bunch to hang out with.
MARINETTE: Oh, they most certainly are! Ren and Makoto are dating, the ones with the dark frizzled hair and short brown bob. They're kind of like the parental figures of their little group, making sure everyone is well-behaved and safe. Guess that makes sense since Makoto told me she's the student council president of her school. Ryuji, the blond dude, is sort of like a mix between Alix and Kim, but he's not total prankster. He's the athletic type and knows how to enjoy a good time. Ann, the one with the bushy pigtails, has a fondness for sweets, saying she wants to visit Paris someday and eat the pastries at my parents' bakery. She works part-time as a model and she wanted to try wearing my designs in the near future, after I told her of my passion for fashion.
ZOE: Wow, now I wish I was there with you. Tell them I said hello and to protect you from Chloe or Lila.
MARINETTE: I will. In fact, neither of those witches have done anything yet. Other than Chloe accusing me of stealing Sabrina from her. Makoto comforted me when I told her what had happened. She was definitely furious when I told her every horrible deed Chloe had done to me in the past, almost like she became a totally different person when angered. Kinda scary.
ZOE: I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you when Chloe insulted you. I can understand why Makoto would be mad on your behalf. No doubt she'd be a terrifying akuma, if Hawk Moth ever decided to target her. Speaking of whom, there have been no akuma attacks all day. It's been oddly quiet, even when I had gone out on night patrol.
MARINETTE: I'm glad to hear that, but I wouldn't push my luck. You never know what he might be up to. The last time no akumas happened for a longer period of time was right before Heroes Day. Hawk Moth could be planning something, especially now that he has Master Fu's tablet, which has a translation of the freaking Grimoire! Not only will he gain more powers through magic potions, but he could repair the Peacock Miraculous to use for more evil schemes!
ZOE: Calm down, Mari. We won't let that happen. We just need to be patient and come up with a plan to find and stop him.
MARINETTE: That would at least require more than you, me and Chat Noir to defeat him. But as long as my classmates still cling to Lila, along with their identities as superheroes outed to the public no thanks to Chloe, I don't know what to do.
ZOE: We'll think of something. Speaking of Lila, has she done anything to you? Have you told Makoto and the others about her?
MARINETTE: The answer to both of those questions is nope.
ZOE: Maybe you should tell them, just in case that cunning little vixen tries something sneaky.
MARINETTE: What if they don't believe me?
ZOE: I doubt they'd take the word of a crybaby who spreads paper-thin lies for attention and adoration. Remember how mad Makoto got when you told her about Chloe? I'm pretty sure Makoto and the others will listen to you, if you give them the chance. Anyway, it's probably late where you're at and you need some sleep. If an akuma comes, I'll take care of it until you come to cleanse it, all right?
MARINETTE: Okay, but please be careful.
ZOE: I will. Have fun tomorrow.
Sighing, Marinette set down her phone and plugged it in to charge overnight. Alya hasn't come back to the room yet, so Tikki and Kaalki were allowed to have some more freedom to explore the room. She had stowed away some cookies from the hotel's buffet and gave them to the kwamis.
"I'm glad you had fun today, Marinette," Tikki said through a mouthful of crumbs. "I haven't seen you this happy in a while. Those people you met were really nice and funny!"
"You said it..." Glad as she is to have met those Japanese teens, Marinette couldn't help but worry what tomorrow's troubles will bring. That previous talk regarding Chloe and Lila in the chat box left her nervous and afraid. "...but I can't help suspecting Lila or Chloe will try to pull some nasty trick tomorrow because neither of them has done anything yet. They could be plotting something bad!"
"Why not tell your new friends about them? I mean, you did tell Makoto about Chloe, but why didn't you want to mention that brat during lunch?"
"I just didn't want to ruin the positive atmosphere I found myself in! I was so happy to be surrounded by good people and enjoy relaxing without the fear of looking over my shoulder that bringing it up now would've made things awkward!" She really did like being with Makoto and her group, despite knowing them for a short time. But would they believe her if she told them about Lila? Makoto may be the first one to actually hear her out regarding her problems with Chloe, but what of Ren, Ann and Ryuji? Thinking back to Zoe's advice, Marinette thought for a moment. "Perhaps I could try telling them tomorrow..."
"You never know unless you try," Kaalki encouraged.
The door handle jiggled suddenly, sending Marinette and the kwamis on high alert. Tikki and Kaalki buried themselves under the pillow to hide, dropping their cookies in the process. Marinette scurried to pick them up and shove them in her purse, just as the door opened and Alya walked in.
"Hi Mari, how was your day?"
The bluenette smiled, albeit weirdly. "Uh, yeah! I had lots of fun with my new friends from Japan! What about you?"
"The girls and I had a good time. We got to do the zipline, did some whale watching, of course Lila told us how she saved a poor baby whale washed up on the beach a while back..." Alya either didn't see or purposely ignored her roommate rolling her eyes at the mere mention of Lila, "then we got to hula dance after lunch and watched a magic show at the hotel."
"Sounds great." Marinette nodded, feigning interest. Although the zipline idea does sound intriguing, she'll have to ask Makoto if they should do it tomorrow.
"And, uh..." Alya's expression had softened, it doesn't take a genius to see the guilt in her eyes. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier, comparing you to Chloe. It was stupid of me..."
Honestly, Marinette wasn't expecting that. The apology warmed her lonely, broken heart. "It really hurt, Alya. But thanks for that." Just when she thought this could end on a better note, it cruelly burned her heart to ashes when the reporter's eyes narrowed firmly.
"...but I stand by what I said, and I believe Lila is an extremely good person. You need to let go of your grudge."
Marinette wasn't sure if she wanted to cry, scream or punch a wall right now. "Lila got me expelled, Alya! How can I forget that?" she tried to remind her, but Alya just shot her a pitiful look.
"It was a misunderstanding, girl. Lila has a disease she can't control. Your parents told me about it after you got reinstated."
"That doesn't excuse what she did! I can't just pretend it didn't happen! I want nothing to do with her, EVER!"
Alya let out a deep sigh, a disappointed one that Marinette has heard before numerous times. "Well, you're missing out on hanging out with us as long you remain stubborn and selfish. Why don't you join us when we go swimming with dolphins tomorrow?"
No way in hell would Marinette accept another offer after what recently passed between them. "Sorry, Alya, but I made plans with my new friends. I need some space from everyone."
Alya blinked, processing her second invitation was rejected. She frowned, deeply hurt. "Disappointing, Marinette. Why can't you just let it go and be a part of the group again? I think you and Lila would make such great friends."
"Please, Alya, leave me be!" Brushing her aside, Marinette needed to go for a walk to calm down and slams the door behind her. She'd rather stab herself in the eye with a fork than be friends with the super liar. Marinette tried not to cry, but tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. Once again, Alya still refused to listen. If only she would listen. Why can't Alya believe her? Just once, question everything Lila says and do a simple Google research.
"Would you look at that? Alya didn't listen to you, again." That familiar, unpleasant voice catches Marinette off guard. She turns around and saw Lila's sinister, shameless grin as she leaned back against the wall, her arms folded over her chest. She had overheard the banter between the former friends.
Marinette scowled, not bothered to pick a fight with her, knowing the liar could use this to draw attention and accuse her of bullying again. "Buzz off, Lila. I don't have time to deal with you."
"After what happened? I'm not surprised. She's never going to believe you, Maribrat, no matter how many times you beg her to listen," Lila sneered, cruelly using one of her favorite nicknames. "You know I only tell people what they want to hear, it's not my fault when they don't question it... especially Chloe." She saunters over to her victim. "Who do you think suddenly convinced her you're trying to steal Sabrina away?"
Marinette gasped in realization, aiming a dirty look at the witch. "That was you? How could you...!"
"It doesn't matter. Everyone knows Sabrina belongs to Chloe and should be treated like a lowlife servant, it's just the way things are."
"Sabrina is NOT a servant! She's a human being with feelings and-"
"Who cares? She's just as useless as you are - a pathetic loser, desperate to seek the love and friendship neither of you will ever receive because everybody hates you!" The Italian girl smiled deviously as she leaned in closer to her victim, who tried to leave, but never realized how fast Lila's hand was when she caught hold of her wrist.
"Aah! Let go!" Marinette cried in pain, feeling how strong the witch's grip felt as her sharp nails seared into her pale skin.
"Continuing to isolate yourself is just proof to everyone that you're behaving like the spiteful, petty, jealous bully I framed you to be... and yet, I heard you've made some new friends from Japan. Are you that desperate for attention? Are you trying to replace your classmates with a bunch of strangers? They don't need you! You deserve to be alone!" Lila hummed, thinking of ways to 'persuade' the Japanese teens to abandon this idiot. "Hmm, I wonder what your new friends would say when I tell them-"
"Tell us what, bitch!?"
Lila's eyes widened when she heard a furious male voice, before she spun around to find another room door opened and two Japanese students standing there, their expressions a mixture of cold fury and disgust.
A relieved grin lit up Marinette's face instantly. "Ren! Makoto!"
Makoto's eyes burned red with anger, looking one second away from exploding like a volcano. As for Ren, he resembled more of a ferocious black panther ready to tear this girl to shreds when he and his girlfriend had caught her in the act of taunting and hurting their friend.
He was the first to storm in, grab Marinette by the arm and pry her free of the witch's grasp. "Marinette, are you okay?" as he asked, he noticed five red marks imprinted on her skin. Eyes narrowed, Ren leveled a hateful glare at Lila. "What did you do to her?"
"It's nothing, I swear!" Lila denied, raising her voice louder in the hopes of drawing the attention of her loyal cult to defend her. "Just a little misunderstanding."
"We're not buying it! Explain yourself! You hurt Marinette!"
"I didn't do anything to her! Why won't you believe me!?"
Several doors flew open and Alya, Rose, Max and Kim came rushing out. Then comes Mishima, Ryuji, Ann and a few other students in their class emerged from their rooms, hearing the commotion outside. Bustier and Dr. Kurtzberg rushed out as well, followed by Kawakami.
"What's going on here?" Kawakami demanded, slightly annoyed by the loud ruckus. "This is a hotel; you need to keep the noise down!"
"We're really sorry, Miss Kawakami," Makoto apologized, both she and Ren bowed quickly. "We heard someone cry out and went to investigate. Our friend here," she gestured to Marinette, whom Makoto and Ren stood protectively in front of the mob, "was being bullied by that girl," she pointed at Lila, "who injured her wrist." She showed her Marinette's wrist, and Miss Kawakami stared in horror at the red marks.
Panic flashed across Lila's face when the Japanese teacher glared suspiciously at her. "Me!? Bully Marinette? But she's the one who-"
"Don't play dumb!" Ren snarled. "We saw what you did, and we heard everything you said to her!"
"What exactly did she say, Amamiya-kun?" Kawakami questioned him, needing a non-biased view of the incident. And when Ren repeated what he and Makoto had overheard Lila said, the teacher was shocked.
Now it was Ryuji's turn to unleash his rage, turning his full attention on the Italian girl. "You said that to her!? How can you be so heartless!?" When he raised his voice, Lila started wailing pathetically, but it was enough to send her cult of loyalists to attack the accusers.
"Hey, jerk! Lila didn't do anything wrong!" Scowling, Kim was the first to step in and defend the liar.
"That's right! Lila wouldn't say or do anything bad to hurt someone!" Rose exclaimed. "She's as innocent as a newborn baby!"
"There's a 99% chance these people are in the wrong here!" Max disdainfully gazed at Makoto and Ren as he crossed his arms. "They have no right to accuse Lila without proof, and are just looking for an excuse to pick a fight with her."
"Are you serious!?" Ann's fists clenched, her anger rising. "Where the hell did that come from!? My friends here wouldn't pick a fight for no reason! If they say this Lila person is bullying Marinette, I'm more inclined to believe them!" The other Japanese students, including Mishima, voiced their agreement.
"Oh, I should've known you'd never believe me!" Lila shook her head, feigning sadness. "It's all because Marinette told you nasty things about me, didn't she?"
Of course, it happens just as Marinette silently predicated. The second that lying vixen drags her into a situation to paint her as the villain, things are going to get ugly. Many eyes of her classmates zeroed in on her glaring daggers, expecting her to make excuses on what she said to hurt Lila this time.
Bustier's eyes narrowed disappointedly. "Marinette, I will not stand for this disrespect. It was very cruel of you to spread false rumors about Lila, especially when you're supposed to set a good example as the class representative, but now you're dragging others into your problems."
This lecture didn't go ignored by Kawakami and the other Japanese students, even Dr. Kurtzberg looked upset. Every single one of them grew very offended by the French teacher scolding a victim of bullying. As for the Phantom Thieves themselves, they looked mere seconds away from either punching someone or suddenly snapping.
Thankfully, Kawakami beat them to the punch, except she leveled an icy scowl directly at the French teacher. "Is that it? Reprimanding a bullied victim that she needs to be a good example? How exactly is she supposed to set an example? By allowing this girl here," she glared at Lila, "to antagonize her and let her get away Scott free! A real good example would be you punishing the guilty party and tending to the victim's wound after my students just testified what they saw, as key witnesses. You're completely delusional if this is how you handle conflict in your class!"
Bustier drew back, mortified by those cold words. Most of the class stared at the Japanese woman, appalled that someone would criticize their beloved teacher like this. The Japanese students mumbled words of support for their teacher.
In the midst of the confrontation, Dr. Kurtzberg gently beckoned Marinette to step forward. She did so, warily. The doctor examined her wrist, stunned. "Good gracious!" she gasped. Even she could tell those marks meant malicious intent. "Caline, I expect you'll properly discipline Lila for harassing Marinette like this!"
When she showed everyone the bruises, the French class and their teacher seemed to be shocked back into reality, exchanging looks between the two girls. At first, the Japanese group hoped these moronic brats and their dumbass teacher will see reason.
Lila, sweating nervously, scrambled to justify her accusations against Marinette. Remembering her fake disease story, she buried her face in her hands and cried, "I'm sorry, everyone! It's just that I have a disease that forces me to do or makeup things I can't really control. I never meant to cause all of you so much trouble."
Mishima, Ryuji and Ann scoffed, and others wondered why she resorted to such a ludicrous excuse. Dr. Kurtzberg stared in disbelief, as if the Italian girl had grown a second head.
Kawakami rolled her eyes, pinching the temples of her forehead. She was beginning to question Lila's credibility. "Honestly, young lady, you're just making yourself look pathetic. You don't seriously expect us to believe such childish nonsense, do you?"
"It's not nonsense, it's the truth!" Bustier hastily intervened, offended by the other teacher's refusal to believe Lila has a terrible condition. "Lila really does have a rare illness that makes her unable to control the things she says or does." To Lila, she smiled softly. "Don't worry, dear. It's not your fault. You can't help it sometimes."
This elicited a series of gasps from the entire Japanese group. Even the Phantom Thieves' eyes widened in shocked disbelief. How can a grown adult willingly accept a childish fantasy as an excuse for her atrocious behavior? What baffled them the most was how Lila's classmates offered smiles of sympathy to her like she told the truth. Did they truly believe the most ridiculous lie coming out of her mouth?
Alya most definitely did as she cheered, relieved that Lila's innocence is proven. "I knew there was a possible explanation for all of this!"
"See? Lila didn't hurt Marinette on purpose." Max grinned smugly, thinking these sore losers have been proven wrong. "She's got a unique condition that makes her do things without control of her actions."
Marinette was quite surprised by how shocked and angry the Japanese group reacted to Lila's excuse. They were gawking at her teacher and classmates incredulously as though they had done something so insanely immature or criminal.
"For real...?" Ryuji droned.
"I feel like I'm talking to a bunch of brainless kindergarteners..." Ann mumbled.
"Do you think they're all high on something?" Mishima whispered not so quietly.
All of a sudden, Makoto's eyes blazed fire as she erupted with a righteous fury. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!" She yelled with barely restricted rage, causing everybody to jolt. "A DISEASE!? Is this some kind of joke!? You people actually believe that BULLCRAP!?"
Though stunned by her outburst, the French group glared distastefully at her. Apparently, Makoto's outrage echoed the sentiments of those who couldn't fathom the absurdity unfolding before them as the Japanese students and their teacher, still reeling from the bizarre turn of events, exchanged bewildered glances.
Makoto's eyes flashed with a mixture of disbelief and fury as she continued, "You can't seriously be falling for this ridiculous excuse! It's just a ploy to manipulate everyone and avoid taking responsibility for her actions!" Her words hung in the air, challenging the dubious narrative spun by Lila, who clearly didn't expect these people to not be swayed by her crocodile tears and fabricated disease.
Kawakami, too, couldn't hide her skepticism, fixating a hard look at Bustier. "Ma'am, I hope you're not seriously considering accepting such an implausible story. It's beyond comprehension."
Despite Makoto's bold objection and Kawakami's doubt, Bustier firmly maintained her support for Lila by nodding, seemingly oblivious to the obvious flaws in the tale. The Japanese teacher and her students exchanged puzzled glances, their disbelief growing with each passing moment.
Marinette, caught in the crossfire of this absurdity, tried to find a voice. "It's not true! Lila's lying!" she exclaimed; desperation evident in her eyes. But the Japanese students, still stunned by her teacher's gullibility, struggled to process the situation.
Alya, however, remained steadfast in her belief as she defended Lila with passion, "You just don't understand what she's going through! It's a real condition, and she can't help it."
Makoto scoffed at the justification, her frustration mounting. "This is preposterous! You're all being played for fools." Her piercing gaze challenged each person in the hallway, urging them to see through the deception.
Meanwhile, Dr. Kurtzberg, who had been silently observing the scene, raised an eyebrow with a clear skeptical expression crossing her face. The Italian girl's performance was becoming increasingly dubious even to the neutral party.
The tension in the area thickened, leaving everyone on edge as Makoto determined to challenge the narrative, hell bent on exposing the paper-thin lie that threatened to overshadow the truth.
However, Kawakami intervened to say what needed to be said. Aiming a disgusted glare at this insane woman, she looked at Bustier as if she was a drunken clown kicked out of a circus. "Do I need to contact the police and ask them to test you for drugs? Because you're not thinking straight, and the same can be said for your students, so perhaps they should be tested if their lack of common sense is also caused by drugs."
The French students grew outraged by this horrid accusation, and so was Bustier. She stammered, but never got the chance to defend herself because Kawakami cut her off. "If you had the brain power to use common sense, then why not just do it to begin with? Have you tried talking to Lila's parents or a doctor, much less do a simple internet research? Don't you think twice when you defend or excuse her behavior with such embarrassing garbage like this alleged disease? It's so ridiculous, it rivals the 'My dog ate my homework' excuse. There's no way a real adult would accept something this stupid unless drugs are involved."
Bustier now looked at her like someone lit a fire under her ass. As though it never crossed her mind that she should've done what Kawakami suggested. Did she truly not think to do either of those things when Lila started spouting obvious lies? Was she really naive or just idiotic? Kawakami decided that both answers are correct.
Upset, Kim tried to defend his teacher. "What is wrong with you!? We're not taking drugs! You're the one who's not thinking straight because-" Before he could say more, Kawakami leveled a heated glare in his direction, silently telling him to stay out of this.
Then, she continued in her lecture, "I have no idea what you're teaching these children, and I don't work at your school either, but from what I've seen so far, you are the most incompetent and gullible woman I've ever met! The proper solution to handle a situation regarding bullies is to punish the bullies, not scold the victims to set an example. And that doesn't include accepting a bully's excuse of a fabricated illness as the cause! If this is how you handle incidents like these, then you should never have been a teacher from the start! You need to take your job more seriously if you don't want to get fired!"
"How dare you...!" All this time, Bustier kept a calm composure over the criticism thrown in her face, but now she couldn't stand it any longer. "Principal Damocles approves of my methods because he has seen how much good it has done for my students! If you had worked in my school, he would've fired you for your atrocious-"
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!?" A man's voice boomed from the elevator. He was dressed in a nice suit, tan skin and dark hair. Hard eyes scoured the hallway, frowning at the two groups.
"Excuse me, who are you?" Bustier questioned, her anger at the other woman suddenly forgotten.
"I'm the manager of this hotel!" The man in the nice suit stormed over. "And I just received complaints of a disturbance happening right here! Do you not understand how loud and bothersome you are!? I almost wanted to call the police, but I decided to come and investigate to see what all the commotion was about."
Faces red and full of shame colored the faces of so many in both groups. The teachers apologize sincerely for their argument, ushering all of the students away. To their credit, they didn't waste any time dispersing.
While the manager spoke severely to Kawakami and Bustier, Dr. Kurtzberg took this chance to bandage Marinette's wrist, although the girl explained she was going to take a shower before bed and can bandage her arm when finished. Before going back to her room, she paused and looked back to where Makoto was talking to Ren in private over something.
Honestly, it brought Marinette joy to have someone other than Zoe defending her from Lila's attacks. Since she began avoiding her friends and family, it had always been her and Zoe against Lila, Chloe, the class, her teacher and her parents. To watch two people she barely knew, along with multiple others, jump to her rescue and speak on her behalf, and not fall for any of Lila's tall tales, mended her shattered heart. And she knew without a doubt, they would do it again if Chloe tried anything stupid as well.
"Hey, guys..." Marinette swiftly rushed in and embraced Makoto first, then repeated the same affectionate gesture to Ren. "Thank you so much! I really appreciate what you did for me."
"It was nothing." Makoto smiled, tenderly. "We couldn't just stand there while you were getting bullied. Will you be alright?"
"I will be. Dr. Kurtzberg just gave me some bandages for my wrist."
"What about your roommate? Will she try anything to hurt you?" Discreetly, Ren gestured toward Alya, waiting for Marinette and standing by the door of their room. Judging by the disappointed frown, she was going to give Marinette a piece of her mind after what had occurred.
Marinette cringed, but she can handle Alya for one night. "I doubt Alya would hurt me. We're not close friends as we used to be, but she's never the type to get physically aggressive."
Though Makoto wasn't so comfortable leaving her alone with a girl who earlier supported Lila and told off Marinette simply for trying to get everyone to see reason. If Marinette was left alone with Alya, another fight could ensure. Not a physical one, but words can hurt. Unless... "Marinette, why don't you stay in my room for tonight? I'm not sure if you should stay with your... classmate, after that incident."
Marinette's eyes widened, realizing what the brunette was suggesting. "W-What? N-No, I couldn't! I don't want to be a burden to you!"
"You don't need to worry, Marinette. I'd rather keep you safe than leave you alone with someone who sided with a bully."
Marinette wanted to argue, protest that Alya won't bother or harass her. But her former best friend stood by Lila's side and accepted her excuses, telling off Marinette for trying to convince everyone of the witch's deception. She hadn't even bothered to apologize after the feud was over. She never bothered to ask if she was okay. Now she looked prepared to criticize Marinette for either 'starting drama' or 'antagonizing Lila' again.
Like a benevolent queen, Makoto's eyes softened to motherly empathy. "If your friend truly cared about you, Alya should've recognized the red flags and stopped that girl from smearing you with malicious slander. It's probably for the best if you kept your distance from her."
With that said, Marinette accepted the invitation. "I think I could use some space right now. Just let me get my things first." She headed back to her room, with Makoto accompanying her as a bodyguard, and Ren retiring back to his room.
"Girl, we need to talk!" No sooner did Alya say those words upon their arrival, she got blocked by the intimidating student council president as Marinette walked in, gathered her belongings (checked twice to make sure Tikki and Kaalki snuck back inside her purse when she found them under the pillow) and came back to follow Makoto to her room.
"Hey, where are you going?" Alya demanded, confused.
"I'm going to spend the night in Makoto's room," Marinette explained, her expression neutral.
"Wait a second!" Bustier protested when she overheard what was exchanged between the two girls, after she and Kawakami were done listening to the manager's warning should another incident happen again, there will be serious consequences. "Marinette, you need to stay with Alya! You can't just leave her!"
"I think Marinette will be just fine," Kawakami intervened, smiling slightly when she deduced the reason for the blue-haired girl's moving out. "Niijima-san is a responsible and reliable student. She'll look after her."
"But then, who will stay with Alya?"
"I'd be happy to stay with her!" A sickeningly, saccharine-sweet voice cut through the air, almost making Marinette and Makoto pause in their tracks. Lila stepped forward, masking that forever fake smile as always. "I wouldn't want to be abandoned if my roommate just up and left me."
With Marinette gone, Lila figured this can be her chance to swoop in and room with Alya. Staying with Chloe had been fun when the two discussed plans to destroy Marinette, but the feud she has caused between the two former friends is growing stronger by the minute. That dumb reporter may still cling to the hope of persuading Marinette to bury the hatchet and apologize, but Lila knew as long as she's around, Marinette will continue isolating herself from her own bestie and the crafty vixen can continue poisoning Alya's mind against that wretched goody-two-shoes.
But there was a problem: Marinette's new friends, those Japanese idiots. Interfering in business that doesn't concern them. Even their teacher isn't as stupid as Bustier. They're less dumb than her cult of loyal followers. Lila knew she would have to be wary of them should they try to out and humiliate her, especially with them playing bodyguard to Maribrat.
Alya grinned, appreciating the kind offer. "Wow! Thanks, Lila."
"How thoughtful of Lila!" Bustier praised with relief.
Rolling her eyes with a small groan, Marinette just entered her new friend's room without looking back. Even Makoto's reaction was the same as she joined her, closing the door behind her.
The rest of the evening passed with no more problems for Marinette. A nice, hot shower eased the lingering tension she felt after the feud, then bandaged her wrist after dressing in her pajamas, said goodnight and thanks to Makoto before sleep consumed her.
Makoto watched her doze off, chuckling at her snoring. Regarding the girl's dilemma, there's a lot more to this bullying than meets the eye. Apparently, Chloe isn't the only one bullying Marinette. Whoever this Lila is, she appears to be much worse than Chloe when it comes to deception. She really wanted to discuss it with Marinette, but decided to wait until tomorrow. Hopefully, she and her friends can do something to help this poor girl.