Smiling Agent

by Gale-Dragon

A popular book series known as Smiling Agent has finally been translated into French. Adrien would like to read more than what his father forces him to read, since those books just can't keep his interest. So the Miracuclass devise a way for Adrien to read the series under his overly-controlling father's nose. Still trying to win Adrien over and keep her hold on the class, Lila lie

1. Chapter 1

Gale-Dragon: Hmm, again, I am noticing a pattern to some of these stories… Okay, like Sin of Reveal this story is going to have multiple chapters due to the possible length it's going. Hope no one minds that, but that also means that the Original Akuma that I have planned for this story isn't going to be appearing for now.

~}I{~

Smiling Agent. Chapter 1.

~}I{~

I entered the… Well, I guess I should call it a room. Wasn't much in it, just a table and two chairs. And it wasn't big… I don't think calling it a cell would be right, given that it's not really one… It has a lovely shade of grey though…

I sat in one of the chairs as I took my supplies out. A tape recorder, a pad of paper, a pencil, and a sharpener. Odd supplies, I know, but necessary in my line of work.

I heard the door open.

I quickly turned to see Him walking into The Room. Given what I heard about Him, I'll admit, he didn't look like anything I thought He might've.

"So," I heard Him say in that Russian accent as he walked over to the table as the door closed behind him. He stared at me as he sat in the other chair opposite me when he said, "You are this… Writer Person I'm supposed to talk to?"

I told Him that I was and introduced myself.

He looked at the supplies I had before he asked me, "So, how should we start this whole "interview"? If it can be called that." He let out a snicker before he stated, "Obviously, I can't tell you anything specific. Namely my identity, my family, my co-workers, and certain missions I was on."

I told Him that we should start by giving him a Pseudonym. So I don't have to use male pronouns to refer to Him or just Agent throughout the book series that we're planning on. I explained that we had to use some kind of proper name to refer to him so it can be more accessible when writing and for readers.

I watched as he thought about it. He then agreed before asking me, "Sounds like a good idea. Do you have any good "Names" to use?" I was rather surprised that He asked me this. He just shrugged when he relayed, "Well, this is your idea, so you should suggest something first."

I had to admit, that was fair. I thought about what I have been told by the other agents I was able to talk to before I finally asked him what he thought about the pseudonym Smiling Agent.

"Smiling Agent? Where did that come from if you don't mind me asking?" He questioned in a curious tone.

I explained to him that the other agents I had interviewed have told me that He had a rather unusual habit of smiling all the time, even under the harshest circumstances.

I watched as He thought about my words before finally saying, "I suppose I have that habit. So I guess that Smiling Agent would be a good pseudonym for me." With that, he smiled.

}I{

"Marinette?" Tikki vocalized as she suddenly appeared between her Holder and the book. It caused her to drop her book when she was startled. Tikki brought her stubby hands to her mouth before apologising for her actions.

Marinette took a deep breath when she said, "It's okay, Tikki. But seriously, can you not do that." She picked up the book and then searched for the page she was reading. The book was entitled "Smiling Agent; First Encounter".

Tikki tilted her head to the side before she asked, "You're reading that book again?"

Marinette smiled when she said, "Yes! But I can't help it! It's such a good series!"

Tikki blinked in confusion when she asked, "It is? But I've only seen the one book…"

Marinette put her bookmark in place as she told the red Kwami, "Oh, only the first volume of the Smiling Agent Series has been translated into French, but there are a total of five books in the series. I hear that they will translate the rest of the series within the year!" Marinette let out an excited noise before she said with a wide grin, "Ooo! I can't wait!"

Tikki blinked in confusion before looking at the book when she asked, "Is it really that good?"

Marinette smiled at the Kwami when she said, "You can read it if you want. Just don't move where I have my bookmark. Oh, how about I get you a bookmark of your own! Or better yet! I'll make you one!"

Tikki gave her Holder a weary look when she said, "Um, that's nice, but how about you do that when you're not going to be late for school."

With that, Marinette's head snapped towards the clock, showing that school starts in… 10 MINUTES!

Tikki sighed as her Holder started frantically collecting all her school things and shoving them into her bag. The Kwami was a little too used to the franticness of Marinette as she floated over to the pink, hand-made purse and phased into it.

It was a minute later when Marinette rushed out of the bakery and headed off toward her school.

}I{

Adrien let out a sigh as the Gorilla drove him to school.

Another year of the same list of approved books, for the 4th year in a row… Doesn't help that Nathalie checks his bag to make sure that nothing Gabriel didn't approve of was there… Honestly, why did Adrien still bother to ask about reading new books? Or any other media in general? Gabriel barely approves of any movies, music, video games, and tv shows that Adrien even bothers to bring up…

The model glanced down boredly at the book report in his lap for his recent literary assignment…

Out of the entire "Approved Books" that Adrien had in his room, he could only read a handful of them… Those were the ones he could read multiple times without getting lost and could reread without too much trouble. He didn't even bother touching the "Approved Books" that he just couldn't follow, didn't like, or couldn't read multiple times. All those books did was take up space on the shelves and collected dust. And when his Father pestered him to reread those hard-to-read books, Adrien just left the book open to a random page and pretended to read it when his father or Nathalie came to his room to "Make sure he was reading the book"...

'Oh, right, when was the last time I dusted the bookshelves?' Adrien wondered as the car continued on the way. He sighed again as he wondered why he had so much trouble reading those books his parents told him were worth his time when he doesn't have that problem with other books?

}I{ A Few Minutes Later at Dupont }I{

As Adrien handed in his book report, Marinette burst into the classroom. However, to their relief, Lila was "travelling" again, so they didn't have to worry about her for a few days.

Miss Bustier happily took Adrien's report and gave it a quick read as the rest of her class settled in. One of the teacher's brows rose slightly as she read the report before her eyes narrowed in a slight bubble of suspicion. Miss Bustier quickly put on a smile as she started her class.

}I{ Later, Before Luch Started }I{

As the class was gathering their things to head to the cafeteria for lunch, Miss Bustier got Adrien's attention and asked if she could talk to him for a bit, assuring him that it was nothing bad and that she just needed to talk to him about something.

All of Adrien's friends told him they'll see him in a bit as they left the classroom. When it was just the two of them, Miss Bustier took a quick, deep breath when she asked the teen calmly, "Adrien, I want you to be honest with me…"

The blonde quickly said seriously as he waved his arms in a 'no way' motion, "Whatever Lila said or requested, I did NOT agree to it! She never asked me to do anything! And the only time I spend with her outside of class is the photoshoots for my Father's fashion company!"

Well, that was a bunch of red flags bursting out of the ground right there.

Miss Bustier blinked her eyes once, twice, and then a third time as the information slowly settled into her brain. She was sure she didn't mention Lila, and she wasn't even thinking about asking about her… However, considering how fast Adrien, who was practically Paris's Sunshine Child, was quick to deny any recent involvement or future involvement with Lila and pointed out that the only time he is willing to spend with her is in school or at the photo shots for his job… Yeah, that now took priority and time for the not-so-pleasant part of being a teacher… Asking those not-so-comfortable questions…

Caline took two deep breaths to calm herself before she said as calmly as possible, "Adrien, I… Wasn't going to ask anything regarding Lila…" This made the blonde feel a mixture of emotions, the most potent one was relief at first then it was overtaken by worry, dismay, fear, and horror at what he had just revealed. Miss Bustier motioned Adrien to sit. The teen did, but it was clear that he was worried. When the teacher sat in her chair, she took another deep breath before saying, "However, considering how quick you were to say those things, I have to ask this question. I apologise if I'm being blunt, but… Does Lila make you uncomfortable?"

Adrien's eyes darted around, trying to look anywhere but the teacher.

Okay, that was possibly concerning… Miss Bustier took a soft deep breath before she told the teen, "You can answer with a simple yes or no, and just tell me what Lila does to make you uncomfortable. If it's something I can fix, I'll do my best to fix it without telling anyone that you told me." What she did not disclose was the fact that she was going to make a report on this.

Lila was having some ongoing problems with Marinette, which felt odd to the teacher but somewhat wrote it off as "girl problems" at first. Though Miss Bustier has admitted to the other teachers that the longer the two girls didn't get along, the more she started to feel like something else was going on… Especially after the last incident between them… And now Lila seems to be having some kind of problem with Adrien of all people! Something HAD to be going on, and Lila was somehow in the middle of it all.

Adrien's eyes kept flickering around, avoiding eye contact with the teacher, when he got out in a soft tone, "Um, yes. She does… A lot."

One of Caline's eyes twitched slightly when she thought, 'Oh boy, I'm going to have to probe… I hate that part of the job…' She took another breath before she asked, "Okay, how does Lila make you uncomfortable?"

Adrien went very quiet at this.

Okay, that's another red flag to the teacher.

With almost pleading eyes, Miss Bustier said as calmly as possible, "Adrien, you have to tell me. I can't help you if I don't know what to fix." She knew that a lot of her students don't tell her what's wrong out of embarrassment or pride, but Adrien… It felt like something else was behind his reluctance to speak… Which adds another red flag to the cluster… The teacher sighed before she suggested, "Alright if you won't tell me… Then I'll just ask you yes or no questions involving uncomfortable scenarios." She honestly didn't want to do this, but this issue was important.

That got a reaction out of Adrien. Not a response or actions typical of this situation. From what Caline could read, the teen's body language was telling her that he didn't like it but resolved himself to just go along with it. It wasn't the fact that he went through these motions that added another red flag, it was how fast he readily accepted the situation which caused these actions.

Miss Buster took a deep breath before she started asking her questions, keeping a careful eye on Adrien's reactions as she did, "Does Lila say things that you don't like or agree with?"

No response from Adrien. So that wasn't it.

Next question, "Does Lila show you pictures or images that make you uncomfortable?"

Adrien didn't respond a lot, just shifted a little. It wasn't much, but it told the teacher she was on the right track.

Next question, "Has Lila done any actions that make you uncomfortable?"

Adrien shifted a little more this time. Getting closer.

Next question, but this time, it was something that Miss Bustier did not want to ask, "Has Lila been… Touching you? Anywhere you don't like?"

That made Adrien flinch as well as stiffen.

That seemed to be it… Wait… Miss Bustier raised a brow at this when she asked in a mildly surprised tone, "How often does she do that?" As far as the teacher knew, Lila's touches were friendly and caring. So to hear that she was touching another one of her students in an unwanted manner was both a shock and a concern.

Miss Bustier watched as Adrien bit his lips a bit. Something felt… Off here… The teacher wondered why the teen was so reluctant to say anything regarding what Lila was doing. If Lila was doing something he didn't like, then he should tell the teacher what has been happening so she can fix it. Even if it is a little embarrassing.

Miss Bustier let out an exasperated sigh, rubbed her temples, and told the teen as calmly as she could, "Adrien, if you're worried about getting in trouble with your father or having this get back to them, I can assure you, Ms Mendeleiev and I will inform him that it's for your well-being." She gave the teen a pleading look when she stated with a small, reassuring smile, "You're not going to get in trouble."

Adrien hesitated for a bit. Still not sure if he should say anything or not. 'But now that she's aware…' The blonde thought as he glanced up nervously at the teacher. He told a few deep breaths before he finally admitted, "Lila… She's always pushing into my personal space… Always touching me or trying to touch me… Even when the Gabriel staff tells her not to…"

While that statement added a few more red flags to the picture, something about how the teen worded what he said…

The moment Miss Bustier realised what was going on, she asked in a tone that was a mixture of shock, confusion, and uneasiness, "Adrien… Have you told Lila that you don't like her being handsy with you? In any way?"

Adrien visibly shifted uncomfortably when he said, "Well, I'm a model for my father's company, so I'm used to people touching me… I'm supposed to let the other models touch me when working."

Miss Bustier blinked a few times at what she was hearing. She quickly collected herself when she stated, "But Adrien, that's at work and! And you're allowed to say No to a pose or No to having to be in touching contact with someone you don't want touching you!" That was when she realised what he was implying. Her eyes widen when she looked at him when she asked, "And Lila has been touching you constantly or trying to touch you when you don't want it? And despite you not liking it?"

Adrien nodded before saying, "Um, yes, I told her a few times that I couldn't move when she clings to me like that and wanted her to let go, but she brushed that off and told me that "All guys love having a pretty girl on their arm and that it was good for the brand", but that only made me feel worse about the contact… "

Miss Bustier clasped her hands over her mouth in shock. She took a deep breath to calm herself before she asked after removing her hands from her mouth, "So… All those times she was hugging you, leaning against you, and touching you in general when you're here at school… It was all unwanted?"

Adrien stiffly nodded, still uncomfortable with the whole thing.

Miss Bustier took another deep breath before asking, "And you have told her to repeatedly stop? Right?"

Adrien visibly shifted uneasily before he said, "Well, at first I did… But then I tried telling her that she was making it hard to do stuff… She still does it… And it really is making me uncomfortable and I was telling the truth about her clinging to me is making it hard to do stuff…" He glanced up at the teacher when he timidly added, "I mean… When you have someone constantly hanging onto one of your arms, especially your dominant one, you can't do stuff the way you want…"

Miss Bustier bit her lips in distress. THIS had to be told to the other Dupont Staff as soon as possible! Now that Adrien revealed that fact, it cast a new unpleasant light on all the previous interactions between him and Lila. 'How did I not realise that Adrien didn't want all those touches?!' The teacher scolded herself, feeling like she completely failed one of her students. Miss Bustier took another deep breath before she said, "Well, now that you made it clear that you don't like Lila touching you, I can officially do what I can to ensure that Lila stops. And I'll make sure she won't know that you told me if that is what you want."

Adrien was confused, and it bled through into his voice when he asked, "You're… Going to… Do something about Lila?"

Miss Bustier raised a brow at this when she said, "Of course I am, you expressed that she's making you uncomfortable when she touches you and as your homeroom teacher it is my job to ensure that all my students feel safe and comfortable in school…" Something felt… Off with how Adrien said what he did… Like… He expected the teacher to tell him that she couldn't do anything and just put up with the situation… 'Well, I think I know what to talk to the other teachers about later,' Miss Bustier thought before she asked, "Anything else you would like to tell me before I go over what I need to tell you?"

Adrien shook his head.

Miss Bustier gave the teen a small smile when she said, "Alright, and if you ever need anyone to talk to, you can always come to me or Ms Mendeleiev." She then pulled Adrien's literary report out from one of her drawers when she said in that same mellow tone, "Now, for the original reason as to why I wanted to talk to you." She slid the report over so the blonde could see it before she said, "I'm going to guess Peter Pan is your favourite book to read, correct?"

Adrien shrugged a bit when he stated, "Well, I do like the story and characters in it. Honestly, it's probably the best of the books that Father allows me to read."

'Huh?' Miss Bustier thought the moment she registered the words spoken. 'Books that his father ALLOWS him to read?' the teacher repeated to herself in shock before she asked in confusion, "I'm sorry, but are you telling me that your father restricts what media you interact with?"

Adrien shook his head when he said, "No, Father doesn't! He just wants to make sure that what I read, watch, play, and listen to are worth my time!"

Miss Bustier's lips twitched into a weary smile when she asked, "Adrien, what does it mean when he says "Worth your time"? I know you have a busy schedule and all but it sounds like he's restricting your media input to me…"

Adrien paused at this. Now that he thought about it… He… Didn't actually know what it meant to be "worth his time"... All his time was managed by his father down to the second…

Miss Bustier took another deep breath before she asked, "Okay, how about you tell me your father's method for approving media and what would he deem inappropriate?"

"Method for Approving Media? What's that?" Adrien asked in confusion.

Oh, this was revealing a few things that Caline wasn't expecting. She answered the question, despite the uneasiness boiling in her gut, "It's… Basically a checklist of things to look for in something. Like the rating on the media, morals shown within it, and possibly time length. Something other than "Because I say so". It's like finding a medium between the parent and the child, the child can watch, read, listen, or play something that they enjoy and the parent can know that the media is safe for their child."

"Umm…" Adrien vocalised before finally saying, "I don't know what method my Father uses when I give him the list of books, movies, tv shows, music, and video games I want… All I know is that he either disapproves of the entire list or approves of one or two of the media… Very rarely does he approve of more than three on the list… He doesn't give a reason as to why he disapproves of them other than "they're not worth my time"... My entire book list was vetoed for the 4th year in a row so I haven't read any "new" books since the last update… Not including magazines, news articles, school-related reading material, and what Father thinks would be good for me to read."

Ooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhh that was a major concern to the teacher…

Okay, yes the teacher WAS aware of parents being restrictive because they were worried about their kids finding or getting into stuff that was deemed Inopropreate but they tried to understand their child or children's interest, but what Mr Agreste was doing was just plain controlling his son!

Miss Bustier took yet another deep breath before she said, doing her best to keep as calm as possible despite it being oh so difficult due to this information, "Okay… That's something I need to talk to the other staff members of Dupont later, but Adrien… I wanted to talk to you about your report because this is the 3rd report you've done on Peter Pan, in a row."

Confused, Adrien's response was, "Is that a bad thing?"

Miss Bustier shook her head when she said in that warm motherly tone, "No, and I don't mind you reporting on your favourite media multiple times, but not back-to-back… Also…" She tapped on the report when she added, "This one is almost identical to the one before it." The teacher gave her student a soft smile when she said, "I know you would never cheat or take short-cuts in your schoolwork, but handing in a report with the same wording on the same topic book as the prior report is a little suspicious and can indicate that you aren't putting in the effort into doing the work."

"Oh…" was all Adrien got out before he vocalized, "I… Didn't realise that I did the same report three times in a row…"

Miss Bustier raised a brow at this when she asked, "Is your list of reading material THAT limited that you constantly re-read the same book without realising it?" The blonde teen gave the teacher an uneasy nod. With a serious look on her face, Miss Bustier asked sternly, "Adrien, do you have a list of your "approved media" on you? Or could you get it within the next few days?" When Adrien told her that he had the list of all of his approved media on his phone, the teacher asked him to forward the list to her school email. When the blonde did so, Miss Bustier told him, "Adrien, I am going to give you a pass on the literary report this time, because I know you aren't that kind of student, but the next literary assignment has to be on a different book."

Adrien slumped a bit but he agreed.

Miss Bustier smiled when she said, "I would suggest you try reading the other books you like. I know Peter Pan is your favourite, but you have to have other books on that "Approve list" that you enjoy reading."

Adrien thought about that for a bit before he finally said, "Well… It's been a while since I organised the books in my room… Maybe while I'm doing that I'll try to find another book to do my next literary report on."

Miss Bustier nodded at that before she told the blonde he could leave for lunch. Adrien said to the teacher that he'll see her a bit before he leaves. The moment the teen was gone, the teacher's smile faded as she pulled out her school tablet and quickly checked her emails. 'Why did he use "Books in his room" rather than "His Book Collection" when he said that?' the redhead wondered with narrow eyes. When she found the email from Adrien, she immediately looked through the "List of Media that Mr Agreste Approves of" to see just how restrictive the fashion mogul was.

'Hm,' The teacher thought as she started skimming through the list, which was organised by media type. 'Mostly documentaries for movies with a few faithful movie adaptations of classic literature sprinkled in…' Miss Bustier thought as she read through the movie titles. She placed a hand on her chin when she went over, 'But all of these "movies" are geared more towards adults… Hmm, is this why Adrien always seems so excited to see movies with his friends? And tell them yes when they invite him to the movies?'

Yeah, going to have to bring this issue up with the other Dupont Staff too during that meeting later…

Next to look at were the tv shows… Well, it was broader than the movie list in terms of genre and number, but… 'There are a lot of series for children in the 6 to 11 age range on this,' Miss Bustier noted while she read through the list. She knew that there was nothing wrong with liking shows that are made for children despite not being in that age range anymore. Caline will admit to loving My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. But that was usually a few shows, not a whole cabinet's worth… This made the teacher wonder if Mr Agreste even bothers to find shows that Adrien might like, or if Mr Agreste just approves of all media that's labelled "Kid-friendly" and assumes his son will like it…

'Hmm, this would also explain why Adrien is so curious about the shows his friends like and always asks them to share their favourite scenes from the shows…' Miss Bustier thought, remembering those moments. She originally thought they were doing it because they were teens sharing an interest, but now…

Hmm, might need to note this with the other Dupont Staff too…

Miss Bustier scrolled through the section for Video Games next, but she didn't know anything about those. 'I'm going to have to ask Max about this list,' the teacher thought as she moved on to the next part of the list. She just had to make sure that she ask the techie in a way that won't mention Adrien.

Music was next, which was more listing the Artist rather than the songs or genre, but…

'Besides Kitty Section and Jagged Stone, are there any artists in this Music category that aren't strictly Traditional Classic?' Miss Bustier thought to herself as she read name after name of Classical Musicians. The teacher knew that people can like any type of music they wanted, but this list just felt… To restricted… Well, if you only allow someone to listen to one genre of music then that is definitely restrictive. Miss Bustier sighed when she thought, 'Well, at least Mr Agreste allows Adrien to listen to his friends' music and Jagged Stone… Still not much though…'

Hmm, that might be a better question for the headmaster or the nurse rather than the whole staff…

Miss Bustier took a deep breath as she prepared herself for the "Approved Books" list. 'Adrien mentioned that the book section hasn't been changed in four years, so I'm not going to expect anything that was published recently,' she thought as she started reading that part of the list. The teacher's eyes widened and her expression slowly changed from shock to anger at every book title she read on that "Approved List".

'Catcher in the Rye! Grapes of Wrath! The Great Gatsby! Jane Eyre! Of Mice and Men! Pride and Prejudice! All these books are High School level reading!' Miss Bustier thought in a fury. The teacher couldn't believe this! Mr Agreste was only allowing Adrien to read books that were well above his level! Okay, the thought of Mr Agreste adding the books he thought his son could read at that level crossed her mind but Adrien implied that the book list hasn't changed in four years. Caline's brows furrowed when she realised that Adrien was reading complicated material when he was 11 at the latest! Miss Bustier let out a huff when she thought, 'So THAT'S what Adrien meant by 'Books in his Room' rather than 'His' Book Collection! No wonder he could do the same book report without realising it! He has no other choice if he couldn't follow any of the other books he had!'

Yup, Miss Bustier knew what she was doing after school.

'Right after I talk to Max about this game list,' Caline thought as she quickly copied the video game list and then pasted it on a blank document.

}I{ Meanwhile }I{

"Adrien, what's with the long face?" Nino asked his best bud the moment he saw the blonde male looking down when he came to the table.

Adrien sighed when he told his friends, "Oh, uh, I just need to pick a different book to use for my next Literature Report…"

Nath blinked twice before he asked, "Did Miss Bustier not like your recent report?"

Adrien sagged his shoulders a bit when he admitted, "Well… It turns out I turned in the same report three times in a row… I just can't believe I didn't notice that I did…"

Rose raised a brow at this before he asked, "Uh, did you like the book that much that you forgot you already reported on it?"

Adrien slumped in his seat when he admitted, "Father vetoed all the stuff you recommended me… Especially the books…" After the class went through their WFT reactions, he explained that his book list was already minimal and wasn't sure what other book to report. Adrien allowed another sigh to escape his lips before he stated with a slump, "The majority of the books my Father wants me to read or reread were just so long and boring that I just couldn't understand what I was reading, and the few that I could understand and follow weren't that interesting… Peter Pan was one of three books on the Approved List that I enjoy but the other two I thought weren't good enough to write a report on…"

The class looked at one another before Alix asked, "Uh, Adrien… Have you told the dick that you're not enjoying any of the books he's forcing you to read?"

Adrien felt a little self-conscious when he explained, "I… I told Father that I couldn't follow those books… He just told me that I needed to focus on the words better to understand the materials…"

Ivan grimaced when he got out, "Eesh, even my parents try to negotiate with me on what books I should read or help me try to understand the material."

Adrien just sank lower into his seat at this when he said, "I… I'm sure Father means well but the media he allows me to access… I just wonder what he's thinking when he approves them…"

The rest of the class looked at each other with worried looks on their faces. They knew Mr Agreste was a strict parent (well, to an extent), but restricting their child to only read and watch things that they clearly don't enjoy or understand… That's not being a strict parent…

Chloe couldn't help but say, "Okay, this totally explains why you were always agreeing to watch whatever I wanted when you came over to the hotel and enjoyed it a little too much. I kind of thought you were overdoing the enthusiasm to make me happy."

Adrien blinked in confusion when he said, "But, Sailor Moon is an amazing Anime. I can understand why you love it so much."

Nath snickered when he looked at Chloe when he said, "I never thought you of all people would be into Anime."

The only thing Chloe got out was, "Hush!"

Juleka was the one to suggest, "Why don't you just read whatever you want when you're not in that house? I mean, neither Mr Agreste nor Nathalie are constantly over your shoulder when you're out doing those photoshoots, riding in the car, or with us…"

Adrien was rather impressed with that idea. Granted the thought never occurred that he could read stuff he wanted when his father and Nathalie weren't around, and it excited the model that he could do that. However… "How am I going to read any book without either of them knowing?" Adrien asked his classmates. He then added, "Nathalie inspects my bag whenever I come home for "unauthorised" stuff. And I don't know how often they inspect the car, but there aren't any good hiding spaces to hide a book there."

Oh, that not only brought up another controlling aspect to Mr Agreste but also raised a big concern… Yeah, Adrien could read whatever he wanted outside his house but how was he going to be able to safely continue reading the material without the guy (and his secretary by extension) interfering?

Kim happily clapped his hands together when he exclaimed in excitement, "OH! I know what we can do!" He looked at Adrien when he asked, "Do you have earbuds?" When Adrien nodded a yes, Kim then asked, "Does your phone have a media sharing feature?"

Adrien raised a brow when he stated in a rather clueless tone, "I… Don't know to be honest…"

Max seemed to realise what the athlete was thinking about when he offered to check Adrien's phone for that feature. The model willingly handed his phone over to the techie. When Max confirmed that Adrien's phone had the media sharing feature, he asked the blonde, "How do you feel about listening to audiobooks?"

Adrien blinked in confusion when he asked, "Audiobooks? What kind of genre is that?"

Max smoothly explained, "Audiobooks are voice recordings of the text of a book that you listen to rather than read. Audiobooks can be exact word-for-word versions of books or abridged versions. You can listen to audiobooks on any smartphone, tablet, computer, home speaker system, or in-car entertainment system. They are also one of the ways for individuals who have limited vision or are blind to get involved in literature. Plus, audiobooks are also perfect for individuals with reading difficulties to enjoy books."

"Reading difficulties?" Adrien questioned curiously. He's never heard of this kind of thing and wondered if he might have unknowingly had a reading difficulty. It would explain why he had a hard time following the books that his father wanted him to read.

Max easily listed off what was considered to be a Reading Difficulty to his friend, "Poor Vision, Hearing loss, Improper Directional Tracking, Poor Comprehension Skills, Issues with Decoding, having trouble with Focusing, ADD, ADHD, and Dyslexia. Before you ask, it's best to talk to your doctor about the possibility of having any of these if you have a suspicion of having a reading difficulty." Adrien was a little surprised that Max could tell that he was thinking that. The techie folded his arms when he told the blonde, "I'm not a professional, but I know that these afflictions come in varying degrees of potency. And, no offence Adrien, you have shown no signs of having trouble with obtaining, understanding, and retaining information that you have read. So it is rather unlikely that you have a Reading Difficulty."

That was when a thought came to Sabrina when she asked, "Come to think of it… Adrien, what kind of books does Mr Agreste makes you read? You keep saying that it's difficult for you to read them, but you don't have any problems reading other materials. So if Max is right about you not having a Reading Difficulty… Then the problem has to be with the books themselves."

Adrien tried to remember what those books were about. He knew he couldn't remember all the titles of the books before he said, "Uhh, from what I could follow in a lot of those books… They had a lot of long, weird words… Um, a lot of them took place a long time ago, like before the discovery of electricity…" He made an annoyed look as he tried to remember more about those books his father thought were good for him. 'Urg! I really couldn't follow any of those books if I can barely remember anything about them!'

Seeing that Adrien was having too much of a hard time remembering, Mylene asked the model, "Adrien… Do you know what some of the titles of the books were? Or at least part of the titles?"

Adrien tried to think about that. He hardly paid any attention to the titles after he shelved them… "Hm…" the blonde male vocalised before he said thoughtfully, "Uh, I think one book had something in the title about wrathful grapes… Um, another title sounded like a woman's name… Hmm, one had a type of bread in the titles… Oh! I think two of the book titles had birds in them, but I don't think they were about the birds… Um, one title had to do with temperature, I think… Uh, one title had the word Farm in it…" Adrien then cringed when he got out, "And a horror book that only had something to do with coloured clocks in the title! Urg! Why did Father want me to read such a nightmare-inducing book?"

Miss Bustier's class looked at one another in confusion. Why did it feel like they knew those strange title descriptions?

… Hang on!

"Grapes of Wrath?"

"Jane Eyre?"

"Catcher in the Rye?"

"Um, How to Kill a Mockingbird fits the bird thing…" "Oh! And One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest fits too!"

"Fahrenheit 451?"

"Animal Farm?"

"Clockwork Orange?"

Adrien almost bolted up from his seat when he exclaimed in excitement, "Ah! Those are the titles!" He blinked before he asked, "Wait? Have you read them too?" He sat back down when he asked, "Were you guys able to understand them?"

The class looked at each other with cringed looks before Alya asked the model, "Uh, Adrien… What was your reading level when you first read those books?" Adrien blinked in confusion when he asked why that mattered. That was when the blogger explained with a worried look on her face, "Because those books… Are at a high school reading level at the minimum… They would be too complex or difficult for someone under that reading level to understand…"

Adrien's eyes widen at what he was told. The blonde model couldn't help but stutter out, "H-h-high school level!? All of them?!" When he saw all of his classmates reluctantly nod, he couldn't help but ask out loud (unwittingly), "But… Father… He… Told me I should… When I was… Mother too…" He placed his hands to his mouth in pure shock when he almost choked out, "Were… All the books… Father and Mother wanted me to read… At… That high a level… The whole time?"

Nino placed a hand on Adrien's shoulder when he said, "If… If so… Then that would explain why you had so much trouble keeping an interest in the books you were reading at home but seemed fine with reading material outside your home…" He waved his other hand when he tried to explain, "Yeah, I mean, those books are classics and they can be great reads, but…" He looked at the crestfallen model when he added, "They're only great if you read them when you reach that level of understanding…"

Max pushed his glasses up when he stated seriously, "Reading can be an enjoyable pastime but only if you are reading things that you enjoy and can understand." He then explained, "Statistics have shown that forcing individuals, mostly children, to read at a higher level than they can understand can cause them to associate reading with unpleasant feelings, thus causing the person to avoid reading as much as possible. The same can be applied to individuals with Reading Difficulties."

That was when Markov added in, "Which is why it is important to read literature at the level you can comprehend and to find alternative solutions when Reading Difficulties are discovered."

Kim nodded at that when he said, "Yeah, and sometimes when you discover that you have a Reading Difficulty, all that frustration at not being a good reader suddenly makes sense and feel like you're not dumb or bad at learning things. It's how I felt when I was diagnosed with Dyslexia (1)."

Adrien was a little surprised by this revelation when he asked, "You're Dyslexic? But you don't seem to have trouble in literature class?"

Kim gave the model a small smile when he said, "A lot of the literature that gets covered has an audiobook I can listen to for the assignments and I am allowed to have the questions read out loud to me, but I do have trouble in the classes that do involve some degree of reading that doesn't normally allow out loud reading. Like science, math, history, and sometimes social studies."

Now that Adrien thought about it. Yeah, a lot of the other classes did involve some degree of reading. But it was still a surprise to the model. True, he was aware that Kim struggled a bit when it came to school but just figured that it was just because he wasn't good at those subjects.

That was when Marinette interrupted Adrien's thoughts when she said, "That is true, and it kind of makes you realise just how much information is still only book-based…" She looked at the tall teen when she said, "But the Dyslexia diagnosis you got back in Jr High helped us get creative when it came to finding a way for you to get that information."

Nino grinned when he said, "Totally, and it made me realise how much I like DJing." He make the motions of a DJ when he said those lines. It made Kim and Marinette laugh.

Adrien couldn't help but ask in a self-conscious tone, "But… Does that mean… That you can't read?"

As expected, the mood shifted but it wasn't in a negative way.

Kim, knowing that Adrien didn't seem to know better, calmly explained best he could, "I'm not illiterate if that's what you're asking. I can read but it's… Difficult." He quickly pulled out a notebook and a pencil, opened the book to a blank page, and explained, "You see, with Dyslexics, it's easy for them to have trouble with recognising graphic symbols."

"You mean letters?" Adrien asked cluelessly.

Kim nodded when he said, "Yes, but they are a symbol that represents a sound or a meaning." He wrote a lowercase 'A' on the blank page, taking up three lines to do so, before he flipped the book around so the others can see when he said, "For example, what does this symbol represent?"

Adrien looked at the letter when he said, not quite understanding the implication, "It's the letter A." The blonde saw Kim make a 'go on' motion, urging him to continue. Adrien looked at the letter when he added, still not understanding the issue, "Um, it makes an "ah" or "ey" sound… It, um, can represent Excellent Work in regards to school work… It… It can be a point on a map… Um, it can represent a building location… It can be a type of formation… It takes the place of a number in certain math problems…" Okay, he was starting to understand what Kim meant by a symbol representing something. But how does it relate to Dyslexia?

When Adrien asked, Kim turned the notebook back around and wrote down some more letters, also writing them oversized. When the blonde model saw that the athlete wrote out the entire English Alphabet in both capital and lowercase, he was still a little confused and he also wondered why Kim was writing the letters so big.

The athlete turned the notebook around before he asked, "Alright, out of all these graphic symbols, which ones do you think are easy to mix up?"

Adrien looked at the letters. To him, the letters looked completely different from one another. But he had to give some kind of answer… "Um, maybe the lowercase "G" and "Y" can be mixed up?" Adrien offered weakly, not knowing what else to say.

Kim didn't seem that surprised by the answer. He just flipped the notebook back so the letters are right-side-up in front of him before he turned to a clean page and started writing down more letters. When he finished, he turned the notebook back around so Adrien can see what was going on when he said, "How about I explain while pointing out how Dyslexia works." Adrien liked that idea.

As Kim pointed at a lowercase "B" with his pencil he explained, "When someone has Dyslexia, they can have trouble identifying graphic symbols, can misinterpret the symbols they are looking at, or have trouble with space recognition, especially when there are ones that share a similar appearance." He moved the pencil to point at the letter next to the lowercase "B", which was a lowercase "D" when he said, "These symbols share a similar appearance, yes, they are different, but they're similar enough to mix up." As Kim moved the pencil back and forth between the letters, he explained, "So they sometimes see one graphic symbol as another no matter how the graphic symbol is made, which in turn, can cause them to misread a word entirely."

Now that Kim pointed it out, Adrien could see how someone can mistake a lowercase "B" for a lowercase "D", they were just mirror images of each other. He looked at all the letters Kim wrote down. Again, he wondered why Kim was writing the letters so big, but he'll ask about that later. "I think I'm starting to see what you're talking about," Adrien said as he pointed between one of the group of letters, which was a lowercase "D" and a lowercase "P", he then added, "Having Dyslexia can make it hard to tell the difference between some letters, like the "P" and "D". And when one letter changes then the entire word changes." He looked at his classmates when he asked, "Right?"

Nino was the one to say, "That's part of what happens to Dyslexic people." He tapped the side of his head when he added, "It's all about how the brain interprets the information it gets from reading."

Adrien didn't seem to understand that part completely. Yes, he knew that anything involving the brain had to be complex, but all brains were wired the same way, right?

Marinette was the one to add, "How about we explain how Dyslexia works the way we were told when Kim got his diagnosis." She paused to think for a bit before she finally explained, "Um, the brain has a lot of different roadways for information to travel. With each "road" having to do with transporting different types of information that the body gathers." She had an idea before she dug into her bag and pulled out her sketchbook. She make a quick sketch before she showed it to Adrien. It was a simple drawing of a car pulling along a simple sentence that reads "The cat and the dog", a nicely paved road, and a building with the word "Brain" written on it. Marinette pointed at the images in order when she said, "Normally when you read something, the information you get from reading travels down the path that holds the data until it gets to the brain. This all happens in less than a second."

Adrien nodded when he said, "Yes, that's how the brain gets the information that comes in through the five senses of the human body and then processes it." He then added with a small smile, "That's how all brains are wired to work."

The class somewhat glanced at one another, unsure how to "correct" that line of thinking…

Marinette shrank a bit before saying, "Uh, um, not all brains are…" This confused Adrien for a bit before the bluette pointed at the "road" in her sketch and said, "Um, for someone with Dyslexia…" She quickly used an eraser to remove some sections of the road and drew in a couple of decent-sized rocks. Adrien raised a brow at this when Marinette explained, "Their "road" for transporting data from reading isn't smooth…" She then quickly drew another image of the bumpy road with the car with its cargo driving over the rocks. Marinette continued, "And it causes whatever information you're getting from reading to become jumbled…" She quickly drew another image, this time of the letters of the sentence being mixed up, and from the way they were drawn, it shows that it's because of the travelling on a bumpy surface. As Marinette drew the car driving up to the Brain building but now the sentence reads "The tac and het bog" when she explains, "And by the time it reaches the Brain… A word can look entirely different from what it looks like in the book…"

That was when Mylene added in, "And it's not just Dyslexia that has an "Oddly wired Brain"... There are other mental afflictions that are because the Brain develops differently than what is considered normal or those wires are rearranged due to some kind of trauma." She looked off to the side when she said, "But explaining how those brains are different is almost like a class of its own."

Adrien was a bit taken aback by this information. He looked at the drawing Marinette made when he asked, "So… People with Dyslexia… Have trouble reading… They're whole lives?" The rest of the class could only give an answer of "Kinda" at this. Adrien stammered out, "Is… Is there a way to…" That was when he remembered, "Wait…" He looks at Kim when he asked, "You got your diagnosis in Jr High? Why did it take so long to learn that you had Dyslexia?" Adrien waved his hands at the sketchbook when he got out, "If you had that much trouble reading for that long then… Then you should've found out sooner!"

Kim let out a sigh before he said, "Adrien… As much as I would've loved for it to have been that easy… There are several factors that… Delayed getting that diagnosis… Which, unfortunately, is an extremely common occurrence." He gave the model a sympathetic look when he said, "I know you've been home-schooled up until coming here, so you don't know what tends to happen in Elementary and Jr High Schools." Adrien was still confused when Kim sighed again before saying, "So back to the Audiobook thing."

}I{ Time Skip, After Classes Are Over }I{

"Alright," Kim said with a smile as he looked at the successful Media Share Transfer message on Adrien's phone. He then handed the phone back to its owner when he said, "Enjoy your first Audiobook~."

Adrien took back the phone with a smile as he looked at the title that Marinette recommended, The Smiling Agent; First Encounter. From what the others have said, it was a good book and all of them enjoyed it. He was hoping that the Audiobook would be good too. Adrien looked up at Kim when he said, "Thank you, Kim. And I hope this idea will work as a way to sneak "books" by Father."

Max pushed his glasses up before he said, "From what you told us, Nathalie doesn't check your electronics. Therefore, they should bypass any searches that are made." That was when the techie added, "Not to mention if anyone notices that you are listening to something on your phone they will assume it is music."

Adrien couldn't help but note that that was a true statement. With that Adrien bid his class goodbye before he left to meet the Gorilla in the car. The moment he was in and buckled up, he popped on his Bluetooth, connected it to his phone, and immediately selected the Audiobook. The blonde leaned back as he listened to the voice of the Audiobook announce the title, the names of the authors, and the name of the narrator.

Then the Audiobook truely started…

"I entered the… Well, I guess I should call it a room. Wasn't much in it, just a table and two chairs. And it wasn't big… I don't think calling it a cell would be right, given that it's not really one… It has a lovely shade of grey though…"

Back in Miss Bustier's classroom…

"Max, could you stay for a few minutes?" the redheaded teacher called out to her student.

Max looked at the teacher when he said, "Sure, Miss Bustier. Um, what do you need me to do?"

Miss Bustier smiled when she said kindly, "Nothing much, I just have a few questions and I felt that you would be the best person to answer them." Max nodded before he waved his friends off while Markov stayed by his side. When everyone was gone, the techie walked over to the teacher's desk and asked what she needed. Miss Bustier handed the teen a piece of paper when she said with her usual smile, "An acquaintance of mine sent me a list of video games when lunch ended and asked what I thought about them, but I don't know what a lot about video games and I have a staff meeting that starts in a few minutes." Max took the list and looked it over with Markov reading it over his shoulder when the redhead added, "The meeting is going to take a while and I was just worried that I'm going to forget about this afterwards."

"I don't mind helping out with video game recommendations," Max said as he read the game titles on the list. He placed a hand to his chin before he commented, "But these games are out of my personal preferences. Though I can see why your acquaintance would ask you for your opinion on them."

Miss Bustier blinked in confusion when she asked, "Huh? What do you mean by that?"

As he looked up at the teacher, Max explained with a small smile, "All the titles on this list are Education Based. They're supposed to make learning maths, language skills, history, and science fun for kids."

"Uh, kids as in…" Miss Bustier asked, not liking the fact that there were bubbles of suspicions popping in her gut.

Max placed the list on the teacher's desk and took a pen out of the pencil holder when he said, "The 5 to 11 age range. However, a couple of those titles are a bit outdated." He then wrote a website address at the bottom of the list before handing the list back to Miss Bustier when he added as he put the pen back in place, "This webpage keeps track of the most up-to-date educational video games and their recommended age range. I think your acquaintance will find better options there."

With a smile, Miss Bustier took the list when she said, "I'll let them know as soon as the staff meeting is done. Max, thank you very much."

Max smiled before he left with Markov with a simple, "See you tomorrow."

Miss Bustier waved goodbye with that smile still on her face. The moment she was sure Max and Markov were gone, she dropped her smile as she looked at the list when she thought, 'So, it's just like his tv list… But… Why is there such a large discrepancy between Mr Agreste's choices for Adrien's media?' She folded the paper into fourths and tucked it into one of her pockets before she placed a hand on her chin as she left her classroom.

As Miss Bustier made her way to the teacher's lounge for the staff meeting, she thought about that Approved List of Media. The movies and especially the books were for an older audience that required some kind of high level of understanding, but all of the tv shows and video games were for a much younger audience… There was no in-between… Why was there such a huge "age" gap between the media on that list?

… Yeah, Caline needed to talk to the other staff members about Adrien's situation…

~}I{ A Few Minutes Later, at the Dupain-Cheng Bakery }I{~

Marinette finally had some time to work on her latest project and was doing just that. That was all fine and dandy, but Tikki wanted something to do while her Holder was occupied. That was when the Kwami noticed the book Marinette was reading earlier in the day still sitting on the bed where it was last left. Tikki gave a shrug before she flew over to the bookshelf, took one of the smaller bookmarks, and scrambled back to the bed. Tikki carefully opened the book to the first chapter and started reading. A part of her was curious as to what the book was about and if it was as good as Marinette said, so might as well just indulge a little bit.

Tikki might've been the Kwami of Creation and Luck, but she rarely indulged in reading. Not that she didn't like reading or didn't have the time to, it was more that she didn't have a regular source of access to reading material. Between staying in the Miracle Box and living/working with new Holders, who themselves tend to have limited access to books, Tikki just didn't have a lot of chances to just sit down and just read for fun.

The Kwami turned the page as she continued reading. Then she turned another page. Then another. Then another. The next thing Tikki knew, she was on the second chapter. Then the third!

Marinette noticed this happening and smiled at the Kwami enjoying the book.

~}I{ About an Hour Later, Gabriel Photo Shoot }I{~

"Mama's spaghetti! Adrien, you were mangific!" Vincent said with glee as he looked over the photos he took for the shoot. All the articles of clothing were poised to perfection thanks to Adrien and the models on set. Vincent smiled when he said to all the models and other staff members, "Alright since everyone was as perfect as Mama's spaghetti, we managed to finish ahead of schedule! Let's take a well-deserved break!"

The Gabriel staff was more than happy to hear that and to be blunt about it, a majority of them couldn't remember the last time they ended a shoot early. At least until someone made a rather interesting comment.

"Now that I'm seeing everyone, I'm just noticing that that Rossi girl isn't here."

The other staff membered agreed with that statement, all throwing in a few more comments that everything seems to run a helluva lot better without Lila interrupting the photo shoot every 30 minutes or so, her not following directions, her making a lot of unnecessary comments that causes a lot of the staff problems, and her just constantly feeling up Adrien in general.

"Well, that explains why you're in such a good mood today, Adrien," one of the make-up artists said to the blonde model.

Adrien was a bit quiet when he thought about how well the photo shoot went without Lila being there… Yeah, he was able to pose the way he was instructed, how comfortable he was during the poses, and how… Upbeat he was when everything happened as planned. "I… Guess you're right…" Adrien finally got out, unsure of how to really feel about it. Yes, everything just… Felt a lot better when Lila wasn't there, but… He knows that Lila is going to be pushing herself back into the photo shoots and the school… And back to pushing herself into his personal space again…

"Hey, Adrien."

This snapped Adrien out of his thoughts and turned his attention to his co-workers, who were giving him some concerned looks. The make-up artist, Mal, sighed when they said, "Kid, you're worried about how often the boss makes Rossi model with you and having to deal with her at school, aren't you?"

Adrien looked away at this, somewhat wondering if he was that easy to read.

Mal tapped the table a few times when they said, "Listen, I don't know what the guys thinking when it comes to professionally using Rossi, but he has to know that she's been making you majorly uncomfortable." Mal noticed the look on Adrien's face, not liking what that could mean, and then asked, "You have told him that Lila is constantly touching you AND making you uncomfortable, right?"

Adrien responded meekly, "Yes…"

"And?" the co-workers asked, hoping for a good answer yet they were expecting a bad solution.

Adrien looked off to the side when he said, "He told me that touching other models is expected and that I should get over my uncomfortableness soon enough…"

Oh, that made the other staff members upset. They told Adrien that he should be allowed to model comfortably with others and that he shouldn't have to be told that his uncomfortableness isn't valid. One staff member commented on Gabriel being a poor excuse of a father while another told Adrien that if he doesn't feel comfortable or feels scared to return home to tell one of them and they'll be willing to help him out. Another told Adrien that they'll try to enforce the "Touching Policy" with Lila and remind her that she shouldn't get too many of those strikes.

Adrien felt… Oddly happy… First Miss Bustier tells him that she'll do something about Lila, the photo shoot running so smoothly, and now his co-workers looking out for him. Maybe today was a good day…

~}I{ At the Bakery }I{~

Tikki flipped to the next chapter as she continued to read the book.

}I{

"Hm, how did I meet my wife?" Smiling Agent asked in a rather bored tone. He somewhat let out a scoff when he stated, "We didn't "fall in love at first sight" nor did we have that whole bizarre "rivals to lovers" thing that happens sometimes in the movies and shows if that is what you are asking." I shook my head when I asked him that I am interested in how he met her, given what both of them do for a living. He thought about that for a bit before he said, "Well, there isn't much I can tell you regarding that." He waved a hand before adding, "We met on one of those missions I'm not allowed to disclose." I asked if he was just saying that because he doesn't want to talk about it. Smiling Agent just laughed at my comment. Was what I said funny or was he making fun of me?

Once he finished, he told me, "It's not that. It's just that we made some assumptions about each other when we first met and it almost ruined the mission." I couldn't help but ask what he meant by that. He shrugged when he said, "Let's just say that the two of us thought that the other was the type of person that we disliked and made some comments that reinforce that thinking. We didn't hate each other at first, just thought that the other was just a tick annoying."

Huh, that was… Interesting…

Smiling Agent then stated, "It wasn't until we agreed to just sit down and had an honest conversation we realised just how wrong we were about each other." He chuckled when he said, "From then on, we made it a rule with the teams that we worked with to never stick with your first assumptions and don't try to find things that will support it. That advice was then passed on to our kids." He leaned back in his seat when he added, "It was also because of that talk that we realised that having an open and honest discussion is also important to keep and establish relationships of all kinds."

I then vocalised that he and his wife got to know each other first before they officially got together and learned a valuable lesson in communication. I saw him raise a brow in amusement at my words before he said, "Pretty much." With that, he smiled.

}I{

As soon as Tikki flipped the page to the next chapter, an Akuma alert rang from Marinette's phone. Both sigh in annoyance at this as they put their projects on hold so they don't lose their place.

"Seriously, does Hawkmoth just sit around his lair all day and wait until someone has enough negative emotion?" Marinette groaned in annoyance before transforming and heading off to fight the Akuma.

~}I{ At the Same Time }I{~

}{ Operation Adrienette Chat Group }{

Ladyblogger: Hey, guys. I know this is the wrong place to bring this idea up, but considering I don't want Marinette to know about it…

Turntables: Babe, what did you do that might piss off Mari?

Ladyblogger: Nothing! Yet…

Anything's Possible: Alya before you bring us in on whatever this idea is. How about you tell us so we can talk you out of it.

Ladyblogger: Hey! Not all my ideas involving Marinette are bad!

Tiny Actress: Remember the last plan you had to get Marinette to confess her feeling to Adrien?

Ladyblogger: That would've worked if that Akuma didn't interrupt!

Poison Ivy: How about that plan to have Marinette and Lila work together on that "Planet Plant" project?

Ladyblogger: There was a major miscommunication between them!

Gothic Girlfriend: Major enough that Marinette ended up doing the whole thing herself?

Ladyblogger: Lila tried to apologise to Marinette! But Marinette was too angry to hear her out!

Maximum Overdrive: Alya, are you sure Marinette was informed that Lila was supposed to work with her on that project? Because, while I am highly impressed that Marinette was able to complete that project by herself and everything else she has done in that timeframe, I have asked her a few times if she was supposed to have a partner for that project. She informed me that she wasn't paired with anyone. She didn't indicate any of the typical notions of being deceptive and she certainly wouldn't lie about that...

Anything's Possible: Same on my end, and that made me super confused when Lila made her claim. Though I cannot blame Mari for being pissed about it…

Rollersnake: I'm just curious, how the hell can you have THAT big of miscommunication?

Ladyblogger: It was just an accident that's been blown out of proportion! Lila tried to talk to Marinette and she was just misunderstanding the whole conversation!

Rollersnake: That seems to happen a lot between them…

Maximum Overdrive: I have also noted those and have added all of them together. I'm looking at all of this right now, and the number of all the miscommunications and misunderstandings between Marinette and Lila are… Unusually high…

Turntables: "Unusually High"? No exact percentage or statistics? Max, are you feeling alright?

Maximum Overdrive: … I am feeling well, it's just the number is…

Maximum Overdrive: Is everyone SURE that ALL of Marinette and Lila's interactions are categorised under "Miscommunication", "Misunderstanding", "Accident", or any combination of the three?

Poison Ivy: Yes. Why?

Maximum Overdrive: Wait…

Maximum Overdrive: Shit! I have just noticed that there is a major piece of information missing from that data pool. Excuse me while I go to retrieve it.

Rollersnake: Max, are you seriously bailing on the question?

Turntables: Dude!

Gothic Girlfriend: Not cool!

Anything's Possible: What happened?

Maximum Overdrive: Greetings, this is Markov in place of Max. He just stepped out with that data he mentioned. I assume he went to find the missing pieces.

Ladyblogger: Uhh, okay, we'll just fill Max in on the plan later.

Tiny Actress: And possibly talk you out of doing it.

Ladyblogger: Oh come on! This idea will work!

Turntables: Alya, I love you, but maybe hold off on the Adrinette plans for a while. Mari is finally talking to Adrien w/o stuttering and I really don't want that nice little progress to get ruined due to an "Interrupted" Adrinette plan.

Ladyblogger: It's not an Adrinette plan! It's a "Get Marinette and Lila to get along" plan!

Anything's Possible: Okay, I know the irony of me saying this, but Alya, that is a terrible idea!

Anything's Possible: And don't you think that it's a little too soon after the last incident between them to put one of those plans into motion?

Rollersnake: Going to have to agree with Kim on this one.

Anything's Possible: I mean, Mari's still upset about it. Which I can't blame her for.

Ladyblogger: Marinette will go along with it!

Poison Ivy: Um, Alya, no offence, but Marinette kinda made it a point to avoid Lila as much as possible, especially after the last incident… So I don't think she'll go along with whatever you're planning.

Gothic Girlfriend: And given how bad the last one went… Maybe you shouldn't… Especially so soon after the Coffee Spill Incident…

Turntables: Hang on… Alya, did you lie to Mari to get her in the same close space with Lila outside the classroom?

Ladyblogger: I wasn't lying per-say, I just didn't tell her that Lila was going to be there too. But come on, how else was I going to get them close enough to interact?

Anything's Possible: Alya! No! That's not right! Like, really not right!

Rollersnake: Again, I'm going to have to agree with Kim on this!

Rollersnake: Also, I can't believe I said that twice in a conversation…

Gothic Girlfriend: Alya, that's not only taking advantage of Marinette's trust but also NOT respecting the boundary that she has established!

Poison Ivy: Totally, and even if whatever you're planning does work, Marinette is not going to trust you anytime soon afterwards!

Ladyblogger: Trust me, it'll be worth it to have Marinette and Lila finally be friends!

Turntables: Alya… Are you sure you want to wager Marinette's trust in you on this plan?

Turntables: I am super serious about that.

Anything's Possible: Uh, what is this plan btw?

Anything's Possible: Because Nino and I know Mari enough to know that depending on the situation will determine how mad she's going to be with you… Though the whole lying to her to get her to spend time with someone she doesn't want to is going to make it all worse.

Turntables: Totally, so again, Alya, are you sure you want to go through whatever that plan is?

Ladyblogger: It will work! Especially since the plan is based on how Smiling Agent got to know his wife after they first met!

Rollersnake: You talking about how he and his wife agreed to sit down and just honestly talk to each other to clear up all the misunderstandings between them?

Ladyblogger: Bingo!

Maximum Overdrive: Correct me if I am inputting the incorrect information, but didn't Smiling Agent establish that he and his future wife Mutually agreed to an open and honest discussion to clear all those preconceived notions they had about each other?

Tiny Actress: No Markov, that is what happened. Which is one of the problems with Alya's current plan.

Tiny Actress: Both parties AGREED to have an honest talk with each other! If Alya has to lie to Marinette to get her to talk to Lila, that's already contaminating the honesty pool between them!

Anything's Possible: Um, Alya, you aren't going to have them talk near a pool, are you?

Ladyblogger: No Kim, I'm not. The other girls can back me on this when I say that it's our picnic outing at the park across from the school, timed specifically when Lila gets back from her trip.

Turntables: Okay, seeing as you're going to just go ahead with your plan, despite our warnings, I'm staying away from the whole thing.

Anything's Possible: Ditto.

Rollersnake: Hm, I take it you two are going to avoid Marinette when she's going to be pissed when she learns what Alya has planned.

Turntables: Yup.

Anything's Possible: Yup.

Rollersnake: Smart, and I'm joining you guys. Because furious Marinette is something I want to avoid too. So passing on the picnic ladies.

Poison Ivy: Well, okay, but I think Jules and I should still go just to act as buffers for that plan…

Gothic Girlfriend: Yeah… Plus maybe we can help keep things cordial.

Maximum Overdrive: Would it be alright if I came along?

Maximum Overdrive: I have a sensory bug about this whole "plan" and I would like to be present to add some logical input to the situation if things go wrong.

Ladyblogger: Oh come on! Can't you guys have some faith in this plan? You all know Marinette adores Smiling Agent! Once I tell her what my plan is based on it, she'll be willing to give it a try!

Tiny Actress: We'll try, but it might be a good idea to have a backup plan and let us work as buffers. Just in case, okay.

Ladyblogger: Fine!

~}I{ About 30 minutes Later }I{~

Ladybug trudged back into her room when she said, "Tikki… Spots off…" And within a flash of light, she was back to being Marinette and Tikki was floated next to her Holder with a pout. The bluette let out an annoyed sigh when she stated, "Okay, I'm glad it wasn't bad but seriously! Does Hawkmoth just lock onto ANY negative emotion or did he lower that bar of his?"

Tikki pouted as she turned around to face the bluette, floating backwards when she said, "Anger over a missing pet is valid, but the Akuma wasn't! And the power that was given didn't have anything to do with the situation!" She noticed that Marinette appeared to be frozen in place with a strange look of shock and bewilderment plastered on her face as she stared at something behind the Kwami. Tikki raised a brow before she turned around to see what her Holder was looking at, and when she did, her eyes widen in the same shock as her Holder.

Max Kante was standing near the hatch to the bluette's room, just staring wide-eyed at the Ladybug Holder and her Kwami with a tablet in his hands.

They just stared at each other for what felt like hours. Questions just barraged Marinette's brain one after another. She wanted to ask her classmate these questions, but couldn't decide on which to ask first. Tikki's thoughts were along the lines of 'Oh shit! Someone discovered my Holder's identity!'

Max glanced at the tablet in hand before he walked over to the swivel chair, placed the device on the desk, sat in the chair, moved it so he was facing the bed, and just waited. Marinette and Tikki just stared at him for a bit, unsure what was going on. The Ladybug duo glanced at each other before the Holder moved to her bed and sat on it. The Kwami floated alongside the bluette.

After who knows how long of complete silence, Marinette finally chose one of the many questions in her head when she asked, "Why did you come here?"

Max glanced at the tablet again before he said in a timid tone, "Before I answer that… Promised that you aren't going to get mad."

Marinette frowned when she stated, "I think we're kinda already past that point."

Max had a bit of a sheepish look when he said, "Fair, and you probably should try to lock the hatch when you're here when the Akuma Alert goes out… You're parents said you were here and it was a little confusing when you weren't…"

Marinette folded her arms when she said, "It's never been a problem up until now, but I know what I'm going to be paranoid about after this." Tikki nodded in agreement.

Max shrank a bit when he said, "Sorry about that…"

Marinette gave the geek a glare when she asked, "Okay, now talk!"

Max twiddled his thumbs when he explained, "I was talking with some of our classmates in one of the chats we have and got on the topic of… The Planet Plant project." Marinette growled a bit, Tikki patted her on the shoulder at this. Max shifted a bit as he continued, "Admittedly, I was keeping track of all of those incidents between you and Lila, to try to figure out what the main problem is and then find a logical solution to the problem…" Marinette rolled her eyes in an 'I can't believe this' sort of way at the words. Max continued explaining, "However, the bulk of the data I had came from our classmates and Lila…" The bluette had a very clear idea of where this was going and wasn't liking it. The geek shrank a bit under the other's glare when he then added, "Before you ask... Affirmative, they have told me about your reactions and how you acted during those interactions but I did not have any input from you directly."

Oh… Oh!

Still, with that glare in her eyes, Marinette calmly stated, "And you came here to ask me for my input?" Max nodded nervously. The bluette huffed before asking a little more sourly than needed, "What took you so long to notice?"

Max glanced away when he said, "Okay, I'll admit, your response is deserved." He sighed before he added, "Listen, I'm not giving you excuses as to why it took me a while to notice, I'm just telling you the factors that contributed to the delay." Marinette made a go-on motion as Tikki sat on the bed. With that Max explained that when he noted the incidents between Marinette and Lila, he would ask for specifics on what would happen and Lila would start "turning on the waterworks" which in turn caused the others around to tell him to hold off on the questioning until she calmed down, so he complied. And when he asked about Marinette's side of those incidents the others would just wave and state that she was overdoing it because she was acting on jealousy and told him to let her cool off, and he complied with them. Max also explained that some of the incidents he heard second-hand, and was only able to get the information on Lila's side and any information on Marinette's side were basically the others telling him that she was overdoing it or acting out of jealousy. Though Max had some doubts about all this second-handed information, he wrote them down and made a note to try to confirm said information. Then there were important things that got in the way. School, projects, and of course, Akumas. There was also the… "Issue" of Lila seemingly always needing him, and the majority of the others, away from Marinette.

Marinette placed a hand on her chin before she said, "Okay, I can kind of see how you overlooked that part of that little project of yours…" She glanced up at the other when she stated, "And you decided to try to rectify that while it was still on your mind and Lila was away."

Max nodded before picking the tablet up when he said while typing something on it, "I… Have all the incidents between you and Lila that I am aware of on this… But…" He glances up at her slightly when he nervously asked, "I can assume that all those stories Lila told about her and Ladybug…"

Marinette raised an unamused brow when she asked, "Are you actually asking that after what you saw here?"

"Just confirming," Max stated sheepishly as he quickly tapped on his tablet when he added, "And since… Well, you and she don't like each other…" He blinked before he looked up and asked, "Hang on, does this mean that Alya didn't go to you to confirm that Lila was Ladybug's Bestie?"

That was when Marinette got out in an almost exasperated tone, "No! She didn't! Alya just posted that video on the Ladyblog without thinking! Plus I never even met Lila before she came to our school!" She folded her arms in a huff when she added bitterly, "And even if it wasn't a lie, posting something that could get someone targetted by Hawkmoth… Even if it is deserved…" Then Max asked why she didn't go to Alya to inform her of the truth. Marinette sighed as she ran a hand through her bangs when she admitted, "I was going to, especially after that whole Volpina fiasco, but after that… *Sigh* A lot was happening in a rather quick succession and I just forgot about Lila. The fact that she was out of school for about two months also contributed to that…" She then glanced to the side before adding, "And if I try to talk to Alya now, Lila could spin something about "Ladybug" saying whatever I'll tell Alya as either to protect her or they had a falling out… Which I'm sure that's what she'll do…"

Max was able to pick out the wording on what was said when he asked, "So, Lila HAS been lying to everyone to manipulate them, as you have been claiming."

Marinette shot the other a glare when she snapped, "Does finding out that I'm Ladybug have to be the trigger for you to be thinking that?"

Max held up his free hand in a 'hold on there' motion when he said, "No! Of course not! It's just… I was wondering why you were so adamant Lila was lying to manipulate our classmates. I mean, you've been making the accusations but never really explained why you were making them." He then shrugged when he added, "I made an educated guess that you simply overheard Lila lying on something small to get attention and just… Made a leap."

That was when Tikki commented, "Well, he has a point… We never did think of a way to tell the others of Lila's lies without the whole Ladybug thing…"

That was when Max asked, "Has Lila lied about any other major thing that a little research can expose that fact and prove that she's trying to manipulate our classmates?"

Marinette and Tikki turned pink with embarrassment at the question.

Max's lips pressed in a line at this before he tapped a few keys on the tablet and stated, "Okay, let's ignore all the data regarding the "Tales" Lila has told the class for now…" He sighed before he asked, "I'm going to make the educated guess that Lila dislikes you because you know that she's lying, correct?"

Marinette pouted when she huffed out, "Replace the word "dislike" with "despise" and you would be right."

Max was awkwardly quiet for a few seconds when he asked in an unusually calm tone, "Lila has been provoking you, sabotaging you, making false claims about you, and trying to turn the class against you after she got back from her first world trip with her mother, hasn't she?" Marinette and Tikki were rather surprised that the glasses-wearing teen was able to figure the whole thing out that quickly from a few comments. Max noticed their expressions before shifting uncomfortably when he explained, "As I stated before, I have written down all the interactions that I am aware of that are between you and Lila, not including the ones where you are Ladybug. I have talked to our classmates and I was able to categorise all those interactions as either "Miscommunication", "Misunderstanding", or "Accident" based on their comments. Sometimes those interactions are under more than one of those categories. But that is the problem, every single one of the interactions between you and Lila has always ended in some level of disaster because of one of the mentioned categories, which is statistically impossible unless there is some degree of purposefulness involved." Max looked directly at Marinette when he stated, "While you sometimes let your emotions control your actions, you wouldn't cause any meaningful harm to anyone you deem your friends even if it is with someone you disliked. Plus if you do cause some sort of problem or accident, you are quick to apologise and try to rectify said action."

Marinette wasn't sure what to say about all this, but when the dark-skinned teen laid the facts out as he did… It made sense. That was when the bluette said in a more calmer and understanding tone, "I think I get where you're going with this. You don't believe that I would do malicious things at every interaction and because Lila is always putting up that "Little Miss Perfect" facade, you didn't think she was capable of such a thing… At least until today…"

Max shifted awkwardly when he admitted, "Actually… I did think that Lila caused a few of those "Accidents" on purpose… I wanted to voice my opinion on those matters but, well, you know how those went when Aurore pointed those out…" He pushed his glasses up when he added meekly, "Um, the recent one certainly got me thinking that Lila has been purposefully causing conflict with you. Um, nice reflexes with that one by the way."

Marinette huffed when she stated, "I have mastered the art of keeping an eye on troublesome individuals and I have learned all her annoying micro-tells." She folded her arms when she snapped, "Why no one in our class thought it was weird for Lila to be carrying a full huge cup of uncovered, boiling, over-roasted coffee to school when she never brought in coffee before is beyond me (2)!" Tikki floated up to pat her holder on the cheek, to try to calm her down.

Max couldn't help but say, "Ah, right, you left before the teachers made Lila clean the coffee up, uh after it cooled down significantly. It actually burned the bench you were sitting on because it was that hot…"

The bluette let out a sniff before asking sarcastically, "Oh really? The teachers made "poor widdle Lila with a hurt wrist and ankle" clean up a mess all by herself? With no assistance? And no one tried to fight them on that?"

Max rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand when he got out in an uneasy tone, "I'll admit, your scepticism is warranted… But essentially… Yes, the teachers did… And while there were a few protests, the teachers shut them down by reminding them of the "Closed Drinks Rule". They stated very clearly that Lila has been told about that rule multiple times, and the nice little speech from Ms Mendeleiev about how dangerous hot coffee was kind of made them a little self-conscious about the whole thing… Guess you missed that too…"

"Oh…" Tikki vocalised before saying, "That must've been why Ms Mendeleiev has been keeping close to you when you're at school and not in Miss Bustier's class! She must've suspected something between you and Lila!" Marinette nodded in sudden realisation when she said that that made sense. Tikki then added, "Guess she got suspicious of Lila after that incident…"

Max nodded when he stated, "I think Lila might've miscalculated greatly on that "Accident" in regards to you, her plan, the seriousness of the teachers regarding that particular rule, and the possible consequences as a result of said actions… You could've easily suffered 2nd-degree burns if you hadn't reacted as quickly as you did, and then there are the legal grounds that your parents would have had every right to use if you had gotten burned… And while she would've been exposed as the liar she is, it really shouldn't be because someone got that hurt."

"Legal Grounds?" Tikki got out timidly before adding, "What do you mean by that?"

Max explained the best he could to the Kwami when he said, "Think about it, the school has the "Closed Drink Rule" for a reason, not just because it creates slipping hazards and isn't fun to clean up. Hot drinks can be dangerous, especially if it has been freshly made. Lila has been told the Closed Drink Rule multiple times by the school staff, so she knew that the rule was in place and knew why it was in place. Yet, she still brought in a large, freshly brewed cup of very hot coffee without a lid and was still pretty full to school. Now without prior context on the Marinette vs Lila situation and just looking at the situation regarding the "Coffee Spill", what would you think?"

Tikki put a paw to her chin to think. After a few seconds, she finally said, "That Lila was blatantly ignoring the rule, despite being warned several times. I know I heard her claiming that she took the lid off to cool it down faster but… Well, if we're not including past incidents… Then she still should have had the lid on her cup so that even if she did drop it by accident it would have given everyone more time to get out of the way and time to get it contained to cleaned up better… Oh, Marinette's parents would've had to have been alerted and would press charges against Lila for the whole thing if the hot coffee actually hit… Even if she were to try to get out of the whole thing, her mother would have to be contacted and learn what was happening and why… There is no way the school could be talked out of not contacting her mother if that did happen…"

That was when Marinette stated, "While I would've loved to see Lila's face if that were to happen and be hit with a super big consequence that was supported by the school and her own mother, I don't want me having to get severely burned to get that result. Or anyone to be honest."

Max nodded when he said, "Thankfully, Marinette was able to avoid getting burnt, but given what we already know about Lila… I doubt that's going to deter her from trying something else for long…" He took a deep breath before asking wearily, "But why is she that vindictive against you? Granted she's also interested in Adrien, but all of what she's doing is way too much to be over a crush. Plus her recent "jealousy" claims about that have been… What's the right word to use… Uh, I guess unreliable because you seemed to have mellowed out on that…"

Marinette scoffed when she said, "She's just being petty over me calling her out on the lies and not going along with letting her manipulate you guys."

Max frowned when he asked, "Seriously? Just that? That doesn't make a lot of logical sense unless she's got that frail of an ego…"

That was when Marinette deadpanned, "Given that she also hates Ladybug for calling her out on that BFF lie in front of Adrien, I'm sure that's the case." She then rubbed her arms self-consciously when she added, "And as for the whole Adrien thing…"

Max raised a brow at the odd behaviour of the bluette.

~}I{ The Next Day, About an Hour After School }I{~

"Dude! I can't believe that the Gabriel employees let you skip today's shoot!" Kim said with joy as he, the other guys from Miss Bustier's class, and Alix walked by the park next to their school. It was just a usual hang out with just the guys and Alix, but the fact that Adrien was there was a bonus.

Adrien rubbed the back of his head when he said honestly, "Well, Father just wanted extra pictures, but we were able to get so much done yesterday that we took more than enough. So, today's shoot isn't necessary." He shrugged when he added, "I don't understand why Father didn't listen to them when they told him about the extra pictures, but if he was paying them to just have a free day… No one is going to complain."

Ivan chuckled when he said, "And I bet no one is going to tell Mr Agreste about it either." Nath agreed with a snicker.

Max pushed his glasses up, causing them to glare a bit, when he asked, "Not to put a damper on this happy event, but why did Mr Agreste feel the need to have an extra photoshoot when yesterday's shoot made more than enough?"

Alix gave him a playful jab when she stated, "Aw, come on, Max, stop sweating the small stuff." She gave a shrug when she said, "The dick must've just scheduled the whole thing out of habit for all we know. I mean, who cares anyway. Adrien and those employees are practically getting paid to have a day off."

Everyone couldn't help but laugh at how true that was. Well, all but Max. The light covered the serious look that was glinting in his eyes. 'Guess trying to plant seeds of awareness isn't as easy as seeds of doubt, so to speak,' Max thought as he continued with his friends.

That was when they suddenly heard shouting. Not screams from seeing an Akuma, nor sounds of excitement. This shouting was just plain anger and fury. Not to mention that the shouting was in a voice that sounded rather familiar to the group. Hang on was that… "Marinette?" the group vocalised before they scrambled into the park to see what was happening.

They arrived just in time to see the familiar bluette storming off as she shouted over her shoulder at the girls still gathered around the nice little picnic, "IN CASE YOU FORGOT!? I WASN'T THE ONE WHO LURED SOMEONE HERE UNDER FALSE PRETENCE! SO THERE IS NO WAY I'M THE ONE BEING UNFAIR!"

The guys and Alix just watched this in confusion as Markov flew off after Marinette, pleading for her to wait for him. Max quickly calculated the situation and bolted off to try to help Marinette calm down from whatever happened. He quickly told the others that he'll talk with the bluette while the others try to find out what happened. The group was confused. So much was happening at once, but…

Alix and the remaining guys made their way over to the girls. Alya and Rose appeared to be trying to comfort a sobbing Lila while Juleka and Mylene seemed conflicted about the whole thing as they were looking between Lila and where Marinette stormed off. Nino waved his arms to get the girls' attention when he asked, "Dudettes! What happened?"

So the girls explained what happened. Well, Lila did through a lot of tears… And them talking over each other…

Ivan quickly waved his arms when he snapped, "Everyone quiet!" The girls went silent at the out-of-character action from the bulky teen. Ivan took a deep breath when he stated in a serious tone, "I'm going to pick one person and that person is going to be the only one explaining what happened, understand?"

Alya, Rose, Juleka, Mylene, and Lila nodded in agreement. The liar internally smirked. Her plan worked to perfection. 'Honestly, provoking that stupid goody-goody under everyone's nose while making it look like she's being mean is almost too easy!' Lila thought as she squeezed a few more fake tears out. She then thought, 'All these girls are going to vouch for me~.'

"Rose, can you tell us what happened?" Ivan asked in a serious tone.

The pink-wearing girl explained that whole thing. Adrien listened to it all with suspicions bubbling in his gut as he shot a glare at Lila, who flashed him a quick smirk. 'Oh, no! She is NOT doing that!' Adrien thought before he decided that he needed to plant his own seeds of doubt about Lila. He had to stop her!

As Rose finished explaining the event, she added, "However, I can't blame Marinette for getting upset…"

'Huh?' Both Adrien and Lila thought in confusion.

Rose twiddled her thumbs when she said as her eyes darted everywhere but Lila when she said, "Lila, I know you were trying to mend fences between you and Marinette, but some of the things you said weren't exactly worded nicely…"

Adrien was surprised yet glad that the others might be catching on while Nino narrowed his eyes when he asked, "What do you mean by that, Rose?"

The girl in pink felt uneasy about talking about that topic but pushed aside her nerves when she said, "Well, it's just… When Lila tried to complement Marinette a few times, she kind of used words that made it sound like an insult." Rose waved her hands in a 'hold on' manner when she added, "But I'm sure Lila didn't do it on purpose.'

'I'm sure she did do it on purpose,' Adrien thought as he narrowed his eyes at Lila. Kim seemed to notice this but didn't say anything.

Lila bit the inside of her lips at this before she put up the 'I'm innocent' act when she said through (fake) tears, "Of course, I didn't mean it! I was just! A little nervous and worried that Marinette would try to make me the bad guy! And I was right! She tried to gang up on me when I misspoke!" She then covered her face and added some hiccups to make it appear that she was crying while she thought, 'How the heck did she notice what I was doing? Drat! That's going to get those idiots thinking! I can't have that!'

Adrien glared at Lila at this. While everyone else seemed to feel a little uncomfortable with the subject, Nino's eyes narrowed at the supposedly crying girl when he thought as he folded his arms, 'Hm… Something stinks here… She's outright blaming Mari for her mistake and is more interested in having us pity her rather than apologise to Mari.' The red-capped teen then thought with suspicion, 'She… Also doesn't seem to feel any remorse for her accidental insults…' Something just didn't feel right about the whole thing.

Alya was quick to say, "Guys come on! Lila already feels bad about accidentally upsetting Marinette! Can you not make it worse!"

'Doubt that,' Nino thought as he glanced at Lila again but now she was trying to wipe away the tears. As everyone started saying that they were dropping the subject, Lila flashed a quick smirk at Adrien. However, Nino and Kim managed to catch that.

The red-capped teen and the tall athlete glanced at each other. Nino subtly nodded his head toward Lila. Kim nodded before flicking his eyes to Adrien and then to Lila. Nino narrowed his eyes before he tapped his right thumb to his chest before flicking his right index finger to Adrien. Kim nodded before he said for the others to hear, "I don't think we should drop this issue just yet."

Alya glared at Kim when she said, "Kim! Come on! It was bad, so let's just drop it!"

Kim folded his arms and stared down at the blogger when he stated, "No. I'm not. And do you want to know why?" He gave her a look before adding, "You saw how pissed off Mari was? It's practically the whole Coffee Spill incident all over again."

Alya quickly snapped, "Kim, Lila feels bad enough about both! Just let Marinette cool off and we'll make things better."

Kim narrowed his eyes when he said in an unusually calm tone, "I hope the "make things better" part includes you and Lila apologising to Mari about both incidences in front of witnesses. Because I'm not dropping this until both of you do."

Alya immediately chimed out, "Of course, we will." Lila managed not to glare at the tall athlete when he said that. Alya sighed before running her hand through her hair when she said, "I honestly thought this idea would work."

Nino couldn't help but say, while subtly keeping an eye on Lila, "Babe, I get it but maybe hold off on all your plans for Mari for a while." He sighed before he added, "And by that I mean, please wait until after she gets the apologies and somewhat forgives you a bit."

Kim looked in the direction where Marinette went when he said, "I hope Max and Markov can calm Mari down enough so Hawkdick doesn't Akumatize her…" He looked at his class when he added, "She was really mad…"

Juleka couldn't help but say dryly, "Considering Alya lied to her about what we were doing and Lila's bad wording, I'm not that surprised." She glanced at the blogger when she added, "Smiling Agent was open and honest when he and his future wife agreed to sit down to talk, unlike this whole ordeal. That was the first issue with the whole plan." Alya shrank a bit at that statement.

Adrien's interest instantly perked when he asked, "Wait, are you talking about the chapter where Smiling Agent met his wife?"

Alya nodded when she said, "Yeah, that's kinda where I got the idea to get Marinette to sit down with us and Lila to just try to clear up the misunderstandings."

That was when Adrien said, "I think it if you really wanted that to work, then you should've followed Smiling Agent's example. Like what happened in the chapter. Mutual agreement and honesty are what allowed Smiling Agent and his future wife to bond in a healthy way."

Nath glanced at Adrien when he said with a small smirk, "Oh? It sounds like someone is enjoying the first Smiling Agent book~."

Adrien beamed when he said with glee, "How could I not! I haven't finished it yet, but I'm loving it so far!"

'Oh, does he now?' Lila thought, smelling the perfect opportunity to not only try to get Adrien to be hers but also keep her class of sheep under her control and get off of that annoying worthless topic of apologising to that goody-goody. After quickly going over the information she got from what was said, she already has a lie that'll get everyone's admiration. Lila loudly cooed before saying, "Oh I'm so glad you liked that part~."

"Huh? What do you mean?" the rest of the class asked in confusion.

Lila plastered on a (fake) modist smile when she said in that 'I'm not supposed to tell you but you're my friends and I trust you with this' tone, "Well, I actually know the author of the Smiling Agent." Miss Bustier's class was giving her some disbelieving looks when they asked if she did. Lila nodded before she said, "Yes, I met him during one of Mama's travels as a diplomat. We hit it off right away and he sees me as his honorary niece."

By this point, Adrien highly doubted that claim, but the other members of Miss Bustier's class looked at each other in confusion before Alix asked with a raised brow, "Really? How long ago was this?"

Lila pretended to think before she finally said, "It was roughly three months or so before the first Smiling Agent book was published." She then said with a chipper grin, "I actually helped him come up with the idea of how Smiling Agent met his future wife." She closed her eyes in joy when she added, "I just felt that Smiling Agent should first approach his future wife with honesty and openest so their dynamic can be stronger in future chapters."

Adrien glared at Lila when he thought, 'How dare she! Wait…' That was when he realised that Lila never read the first Smiling Agent book, if she had then she would've known that he and his future wife got off on the wrong foot and how they reconciled… 'Lila lied about something the class KNEW would be untrue!' Adrien thought in glee, doing his best to keep his emotions hidden from the liar.

Lila preened under the praises of her classmate, but it was a shame that her eyes were still closed. She would've seen the confused and suspicious looks she was getting from them.

~}I{ With Marinette }I{~

The bluette took a few more slow deep breaths as she just rubbed a hand over her face from the position she was in. She was sitting on the top step leading up to the building she stopped at while her back was just laying on the pavement. Probably not the most comfortable position she could've been in but right now, she just needed to focus on calming down. The best part is that the Akuma Hawkmoth had sent is currently residing in the calculator that Max managed to hit it with so the dick wasn't going to be bothering her anytime soon... Hopefully.

Marinette took a deep breath before she said, "Seriously, Max, you should join the baseball team." She turned her head to the glasses-wearing teen when she added, "I mean, that was an accurate pitch." Max shrugged when he told her that maybe he can fill in for a pitcher if the team needs it or join the reserve players. That made Marinette chuckle a bit.

Markov noticed something off between the two but decided to ask about that later and after Marinette was out of the emotional danger range of Akuma attraction, even if the Akuma is currently dealt with and Hawkmoth couldn't send out another. It was better safe than sorry.

After a few minutes, Marinette was calmer. She was still mad about what happened earlier but not as much for now. Markov was a little confused when Marinette said that she needed to quickly use the bathroom for a bit, more to freshen up a bit. And he was even more confused when she didn't go in the direction the restroom was. Before Markov can question Ladybug suddenly appeared and took care of the Akuma-possessed device. 'How did she know that there was an Akuma here and not in the possession of a person?' Markov thought in confusion. He looked at Max to see his reaction, only to see that he wasn't surprised by the oddity. Markov knew something wasn't adding up here. Ladybug left soon after purifying the Akuma Butterfly, and then Marinette came back. Markov found that strange, even more so when Max didn't question the oddity.

Something was up, Markov knew it! But what?

Marinette seemed to notice the AI's confusion when she told Max, "You can fill Markov in on… Yesterday… Just make sure that it stays between the three of us."

Max nodded before he asked, "You sure you're going to be okay? Especially since tomorrow is a school day…"

Marinette sighed before saying, "I'm going to give Miss Bustier a call and explain what happened. Hopefully, she'll understand and let me have a different seat." She huffed when she added, "I don't think I want to talk to Alya anytime in the foreseeable future… At least more than needed to get through the school day."

Max pushed his glasses up when he commented, "That bad?"

Marinette glanced at the AI when she said, "Markov can fill you in on it."

Max looked at Markov when the AI stated, "Information exchange?" Max nodded at the comment before the two parted from the bluette, and all headed to their respective homes.

}{

A few minutes after Max and Markov got home the AI told the techie what happened at the park. Max wasn't that surprised that Lila provoked Marinette so soon after the last incident, but what did surprise him was that she was brazen enough to do it in front of the other girls and as soon as she "returned from her trip", if she even left the country that is. As promised, Max told Markov that Marinette was Ladybug. So many prior facts came to light with this revelation to the AI.

"That explains how Marinette knew right away that Lila wasn't "Ladybug's BFF"! Hang on…" Markov vocalised before question marks appeared on his visor where his eyes would be when he asked, "Alya never confirmed with "Ladybug" about Lila's claim before posting that?"

Max pushed his glasses up when he replied, "My best guess is that either Alya's excitement of meeting "Ladybug's BFF" overtook her sense of logic or Lila lied to Alya about "Ladybug" already approving of the video." He sighed before saying, "Probably a combination of both in all honesty…" He looked at Markov when he said, "And before you ask, Marinette admitted that she was going to go to Alya's to rectify that claim, especially after the Vulpina Akuma but said that a lot of things happened in quick succession and she just forgot about Lila."

Markov tapped his claw under his visor when he vocalised, "Understandable, and I theorise that Lila being out travelling with her mother didn't help with Marinette's memory."

Max narrowed his eyes as he glanced off to the side when he stated, "Given that she appears to have started lying as soon as she arrived… I am more than a bit sceptical about all those supposed "travels" she's had with her mum."

Markov raised a virtual brow when he asked, "Are you suggesting that Lila was committing truancy? If so, then how would she achieve that without raising any questions from parties responsible for her care? And assuming that Lila's mother is a competent parent, wouldn't she be questioning why her daughter was home in the middle of a school week? Or months in some of those cases."

Max placed a hand on his chin when he stated, "My best guess is that Lila is either outright lying to her mother about the status of the school, convinced her that French schools have a lot of holidays, or Mrs Rossi doesn't care what her daughter does… Maybe even a combination of those…" He looked at Markov when he said, "Given that we don't have enough solid information about Mrs Rossi or solid proof that Lila has indeed been travelling, we can bookmark that issue as "Take with a grain of salt" until more information is gathered."

Markov agreed with that statement before asking, "What about the majority of the "jealousy" claims Lila made regarding Adrien? Especially since the recent ones have been oddly inaccurate."

Max rubbed the back of his neck when he said, "Um, Marinette explained that too…" Markov raised a virtual brow at this.

~}I{ At The Same Time }I{~

A new chat group has been created.

The New Chat Group has been renamed to Smiling Suspicions.

Nine members have been added to Smiling Suspicions.

LB Artist: Take a wild guess what this chat is for.

Rollersnake: No guess needed. At least on my end.

Anything's Possible: Was that a jab at me, pipsqueak?

Turntables: Dudes, not the time or the place for that.

Tiny Actress: I just don't understand why Lila would lie about knowing the "Author" of Smiling Agent…

Teddy Bear: Same… But… Does anyone think the timing of that "reveal" smell a little fishy?

Poison Ivy: Actually… Yes.

Gothic Girlfriend: She brought it up almost as soon as she learned that Adrien was liking the Smiling Agent: First Encounter…

Ladyblogger: Guys, maybe she was just… Trying to impress Adrien…

Turntables: Babe, it sounds like you're reaching.

Ladyblogger: … Lila has no other reason to lie!

Anything's Possible: Then why lie to impress Adrien when he already seems to be her friend?

LB Artist: Wait… They're friends? I thought Lila was coming onto Adrien. Especially with the way she's always hanging off him?

Tiny Actress: Nath, what do you mean by that? Lila told us that she's just physically affectionate with her friends.

LB Artist: If that was true, then how come she's only "Physically Affectionate" with Adrien?

Poison Ivy: …

Gothic Girlfriend: You know… Nath has a point… Has Lila ever been… Physically affectionate with any of us?

Ladyblogger: She… She might be more comfortable with doing it to Adrien than with us.

LB Artist: Even though you and the other girls spend more time with her outside the class when she's here? Does that mean that she doesn't actually think of you as friends despite doing stuff together?

Teddy Bear: Nath is making another point… Granted she does work with Adrien on a few of the Gabriel shoots, but… I don't know, it seems kind of odd that Lila's only "Physically Affectionate" with only one friend despite claiming to be that way with "all" her friends.

Poison Ivy: Ivan's right, it does seem a little weird…

Ladyblogger: …

Anything's Possible: Now that I think about it… Has anyone else noticed that Adrien looks a little uncomfortable when Lila clings to him all the time?

Turntables: …

Turntables: Welp, now I know what I'm asking him later during our little study session at his place.

Turntables: Something else is going on with Lila. Not just her lie and interactions with Adrien. She didn't seem all that interested in apologising to Marinette for accidentally insulting her.

Ladyblogger: Nino! How could you!?

Turntables: Babe, remember what Lila said when Rose pointed out the "Wording" of her comments? Lila was more interested in placing the blame on Marinette for "ganging up on her for misspeaking" rather than admitting that she might've insulted her by accident and wanted to apologise.

Ladyblogger: … She… Could've just been too stressed over everything…

Anything's Possible: Alya, I think you're reaching…

Rollersnake: I can't believe I'm saying this again, but I agree with Kim.

LB Artist: Wow, you two agreed three times within two days… Is there an eclipse happening?

Tiny Actress: Nath… Not funny…

LB Artist: I guess, but come on, Kim and Alix agreeing THAT often in a short period! It means things are serious!

Gothic Girlfriend: Hmm… Oddly valid…

Teddy Bear: Hey, how about we all agree to keep an eye on Lila and her future interactions with Marinette and Adrien… Something's going on between them, and not in a good way. And as their friends, we need to know what it is so we can fix it.

Ladyblogger: Agreed!

Tiny Actress: Agreed.

Poison Ivy: Agreed.

Gothic Girlfriend: Agreed.

LB Artist: Agreed.

Anything's Possible: Agreed.

Rollersnake: Agreed.

Turntables: Agreed. As I said b4, I'm going to be asking Adrien some questions later. Hopefully, I'm going to get some answers.

~}I{ A Few Minutes Later, Personal Text Messages }I{~

Kim: You planning on asking Adrien about the whole incident today and why Lila was smirking at him, right?

Nino: Totally, he's not getting out of that one. He knows more than what happened.

Nino: And there's something else going on between Lila and Marinette, something big. I think Lila provoked Marinette on purpose during the whole picnic, maybe even long before that.

Kim: You thought so too, huh?

Kim: How long?

Nino: A while, never said anything because I wasn't 100% sure about everything… Plus you saw how quick the others were to shut Aurora down whenever she pointed some things out.

Nino: The whole Coffee Spill Incident definitely got me thinking whatever's going on between them is majorly serious.

Kim: Yeah, same… You saw how hot that stuff was! Mari could've been seriously injured if that coffee hit her! Thank goodness she reacted so quickly. I think we made the right call about seeing her after school that day.

Nino: Agreed.

Nino: What's bothering me is why Lila brought coffee to school. She never did b4 that day… Unless…

Kim: Wait are you thinking…

Nino: That Lila planned on burning Mari with the coffee and wanted the whole thing to be written off as an accident.

Nino: Yup.

Kim: Dude! That's one serious accusation!

Nino: I know, but… Think about it for a bit… Lila never brought coffee in b4, it was way too overdone, and didn't have any lid despite being told multiple times prior about the "Closed Drink Rule". Not to mention she "conveniently" trips right in front of Marinette… Was there anything that would trip her or cause her to lose her footing there?

Nino: And it seems you were thinking that Lila did want to burn Mari. Given that you caught onto what I was implying before I even texted it.

Kim: Hm, I see what you mean… Yeah, I knew I felt something wrong with that whole thing, but I wasn't sure why. Granted, Mari was in the right to be pissed but most of our class was sure that it was an accident… I guess it WAS the coffee that made things feel weird…

Nino: The teachers weren't pleased with that whole thing. I've noticed that they've been reinforcing the Closed Drink Rule in every class. Can't blame them for doing it though.

Kim: I noticed that Ms M has been keeping an eye on Mari since then…

Nino: Maybe to catch Lila in the act or something?

Kim: Well, I know what else I'm bringing up to the teachers tomorrow after my meeting.

Nino: Right, and good luck with your proposal to the school to have all the classes recorded as another means of learning!

Kim: Thanks! I hope it works!

Kim: #DyslexicAwareness!

~}I{ At the Agreste Manor }I{~

Adrien was pretending to read the book his Father wanted him to read before Nino came over for their study session. But he had a more interesting book that was playing in his ear. As long as he flipped the pages every once and a while and had his hair covering the Bluetooth, no one would notice that he was listening to an audiobook. But then again, no one came into his room without knocking, so that gave him plenty of time to pause the audiobook, remove the Bluetooth, and hide the Bluetooth before Nathalie or his father noticed.

Adrien had his eyes closed as he pictured the book happening before him as the narrator continued as he flipped another page of the book he was ignoring.

'Maybe I should look up other Audiobooks?' Andrien thought with a smile. Maybe he can also find out when the next book of the Smiling Agent series gets translated!

}{ Meanwhile }{

"Please place your bag here so that I can ensure that you are bringing in things that Mr Agreste approves of," Nathalie stated in that stern tone as she stared down Nino as he walked into the mansion with his bag leisurely slung over his shoulder.

Nino raised a brow in a 'really' matter when he turned back towards the door when he stated in a nonchalant tone, "Okay, I'm just going to sneak into Adrien's room through the window so we can get some actual studying done this time."

Nathalie stopped him by saying, "That statement is uncalled for."

Nino looked over his shoulder at the secretary when he said in that same tone, "Hm, considering Adrien and I made plans for this study session over, oh, I'd say two months ago and it kept getting pushed back by your boss for the rather lame reasons that he sprang on us at the literal last minute more than a dozen times, I'd say the comment is rather called for."

Nathalie's brow twitched at this when she said, "That I can understand, it's the not willing to go through a bag check that's uncalled for."

Nino turned to face the secretary completely when he said, "Nope still called for." When Nathalie asked why, the red-capped teen stated dryly, "Look me in the eye and tell me honestly that Agreste somehow approves of me behind Adrien's back."

Nathalie glanced to the side when she realised what the teen was implying. She took a deep breath before she said, "I… See your point…" Nino raised a brow in an 'I thought as much' motion. Nathalie quickly put the professional mask back on when she stated, "However, I was talking about keeping objects and media that Mr Agreste doesn't approve of out of the house."

Nino let out a sceptical hum when he asked in an unamused tone, "That's a rather extensive list, you sure you can remember the whole thing off the top of your head?"

Nathalie opened her mouth to retort that statement but hesitated when she realised that he was right about the rather, ahem, detailed list of things that weren't allowed to be in the mansion. Nathalie opted to stare down the teen when she stated coldly, "Just place your bag on the table, let me inspect it, take out what isn't necessary for the study session, you can go to Adrien's room, and you can get the unapproved items back when you leave."

Nino rolled his eyes and placed his bag on the table when he asked with a straight face as he took his phone out, "I expect those condoms back when I leave. My girlfriend likes them."

Nathalie's cheeks turned bright red with embarrassment at the bluntness of the teenager when she spluttered out, "Excuse me?! You brought condoms with you!?"

Nino quickly snapped a picture of the secretary's expression before smirking and saying, "Nope~, I just said that to mess with you." He flashed the photo he just took of Nathalie when he said in a humorous tone, "And to prove to the rest of our class that you do have emotions."

Nathalie potently frowned before going through the bag, thoroughly, when she snapped, "That photo doesn't leave your phone! Understood!"

"Yes, Ma'am," Nino said playfully as she took out the books to look them over. She was so busy with the inspection she didn't even notice that Nino was texting something to someone.

}I{ Class Chat Outside the Class }I{

Turntables: Eesh! Adrien wasn't kidding about Nathalie inspecting bags upon entering the mansion. She's checking mine rn.

Turntables: She better return my Smiling Agent book to me when I leave.

}I{ Agreste Manion }I{

As Nino tucked his phone away, Nathalie finished her inspection. As expected the secretary set aside the non-school-related books, a notebook that Nino used to write some notes for some of his movie-making projects, and Nino's portable game station. Nathalie handed the teen's bag back with an 'I'm watching you' look on her face.

Nino took his bag back when he stated, "I expect those to be in the same condition when I get them back." Before he headed off toward Adrien's room.

Nathalie sniffed before returning to her post with the "confiscated items" in tow. She just placed them into a drawer by her desk. Before she closed it, she picked up one of the books and looked it over. "Smiling Agent; First Encounter?" Nathalie muttered before she read the back of the book for the synopsis. She raised a brow before wondering, "Who names the main character Smiling Agent?"

Nathalie glanced around the mansion. Well, since it was just her and it would be a while before the red-capped teen would be by… Nathalie carefully opened the book when she thought, 'Maybe just the first chapter. Just to see if it'll explain why the strange name.'

~}I{ At the Dupain-Cheng Bakery. In Marinette's Room }I{~

As Marinette snuggled on her bed as she opened her Smiling Agent; First Encounter book to her bookmark. She smiled as Tikki snuggled close to her in a position where she can easily read the book too.

}I{

Well, today was the day that Smiling Agent was going tell me about that whole "Lovers' Killer" case that happened and was solved a few years back. I was honestly surprised he agreed to that considering how tight-lipped the police were about the case. But Smiling Agent did say that the "gag order" on that case was going to expire, so it would be fine to explain what happened behind the scene to solve that case.

If I'm being honest, my interest peeked in that regard. What happened during the case to have everyone involved be on a gag order about it?

As usual, I was brought into The Room. I wonder if they can do something to add a little colour to it?

Smiling Agent was already in The Room, sitting at the table with a deck of… Tarot cards? Why did he have those? Wasn't he going to talk about the Lover's Killer case?

I sat in my usual chair, keeping a curious eye on that deck of cards. Smiling Agent drew a card when he said in a matter-of-fact tone, "One of my brothers-in-law does Tarot Readings." He placed that card face-down before drawing another when he added, "He's very good at it but he downplays his skills a lot." He placed the new card on top of the prior card, also face-down, drew another card, and said, "Knows a lot about Tarot too, including the meanings behind the cards." Smiling Agent placed the card on top of the discard pile, also face down, drew another card from the deck, and said, "And some of those cards have a different meaning than what you originally think." He kept that card.

Well, what he was saying was interesting, but why was he talking about Tarot cards rather than the Lovers' Killer case? So I asked him.

Smiling Agent stared at the card when he said, "It was never made public, but the Killer always left behind two Tarot cards at all his murders." He looked at me when he added, "As you are aware, a lot of people tend to have negative opinions about Tarot. So that information was kept out of the public knowledge."

Huh, okay, so the Tarot cards did have some relevance to that case after all.

Smiling Agent flipped the card around between his fingers to show me the card. It was the Death Card, the Grim Reaper clearly depicted with the typical scythe in one hand and a small white butterfly sitting peacefully in the other with the Roman number XIII written on the banner at the top of the card. That was when he said, "It was actually those very cards that helped catch the Killer. I guess you can say that the cards "Changed" our perception of the case in a Major way." With that, he smiled.

}I{

Tikki let out a giggle, pausing their reading of the book. Marinette smiled when she said, "I'm glad you're enjoying the book."

The Kwami nodded when she said, "Yup, but I can't believe that Smiling Agent worked on that case!"

Marinette blinked when she asked, "Oh, you've heard of it?"

Tikki nodded when she said, "Master Fu was hiding in that area when the murders happened. He wanted to help, but was worried about drawing attention to the Miraculous too soon." She looked at the words on the page when she asked, "Is Smiling Agent a real person?"

Marinette nodded when she said, "He is, but due to his rank and enemies who can target his family, they never use his real name. As you read in the first chapter." She looked at the book when she said, "I have no idea how the author managed to convince the agency and Smiling Agent to allow them to make this series, but I'm not complaining! Smiling Agent is an interesting person."

Tikki nodded before saying, "Can we continue reading? I want to know what happened during that case and just continue reading this book." Marinette smiled at this and both Holder and Kwami continued reading.

~}I{~

To be Continued.

~}I{~

1… Dyslexia is a general term for disorders that involve difficulty in learning to read or interpret words, letters, and other symbols, but that does not affect general intelligence. In this story, Kim is Dyslexic and has a lot of trouble with reading and retaining written information, but he can understand the subject material when it is explained to him verbally, plus the use of visual images can also help.

2… I'm just going to plug this rather interesting Lila is exposed fic by Quicksiversquared that involves a "coffee accident". /works/32891107

~}I{~