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

3. Chapter 3

Smiling Agent, Chapter 3.

~}I{~

Gabriel knew this was a little over the top, but necessary to prevent people from suspecting him from being Hawkmoth. So while Nathalie fabricated his meeting in England, Gabriel would hide out in his secret lair. The lair had what the fashion mogul needed to ensure that he didn't have to leave for three weeks. Gabriel wasn't planning on staying in his lair the entire worth of his supplies, but long enough to create an Akuma or two, maybe three if he was lucky.

A closed, round window slowly opened, allowing the light from the outside to shine into the darkroom. This caused the swarm of white butterflies to flutter around a dark figure.

"Yes! Yes! Marinette Dupain-Cheng is finally feeling enough negative emotion for me to lock on to!" Hawkmoth ranted in glee. Already his plan was worth it! He finally had the perfect person who would get him the miraculous he sought after for so long ready to be Akumatized!

Hawkmoth held out a hand for one of his white butterflies to land on, ready to finally make his Perfect Akuma.

"What?!" Hawkmoth got out in shock, curling the fingers of his outstretched hand inward. The white butterfly fluttered away when the villain shouted in anger. "It's gone! But how?!"

}{ Back at Dupont }{

Marinette couldn't help but stare at those glaring amber eyes in fear. She couldn't move! Paralyzed! Almost as if she were a mouse caught in the gaze of a large snake.

"Are you okay?" An accented voice interrupted the bluette's spiralling fear.

Marinette then noticed a hand out stretched to her, palm up, and in a friendly gesture. The same voice was heard saying, "Do you need help gettin' up?" The bluette timidly accepted the offered hand and the person easily helped her up as if she didn't weigh anything.

Now that Marinette was on her feet, she could see the person better. He was a boy appeared to be around 17 or 18-years-old with mossy green hair tied back in a ponytail that split into a pair of braided twin-tails, a pair of sharp-looking shades hanging on the collar of his shirt, glaring golden amber eyes, a pair of headphones hanging around his neck, bright red shirt with an image of silver computer chip wearing a black business suit and sunglasses with the letters CBI under the image (1), khaki slacks with multiple pockets on the sides, and black shoes with a purple streak on them.

It still unnerved her that this guy was still glaring at her despite being oddly kind and helpful. "Uh, thanks... Um..." Marinette got out uneasily as she continued to stare at the other's glare, somewhat belatedly realising that she didn't know who this guy was or why he was here.

That was when the bluette heard a strangely mechanical voice saying, "Kon, is everything alright?"

Marinette turned to see two more teens coming into view, one girl and another boy. The girl appeared to be around 13-years-old, had blond hair with thick black highlights tied in a loose ponytail, had two different coloured eyes, a green (right) eye and a black (left) eye, wore a sunny yellow shirt with an image of the British flag and black words written under the flag that said "Of all Trades" (1), khaki slacks that reached her knees, and a pair of open-toed shoes. The other boy appeared to be around 13-years-old had short raven black hair, a pair fox-like eyes that were open in slits to see a pair of blueish-black tint, wearing a light blue summer yukata with a dark blue floral pattern, and the sounds of getas could be heard from his feet as he took a few steps. Both were wearing weird devices that looked like a combination of over the ears earbuds and tinted visors.

Marinette blinked in confusion at the two other new teens, more specifically, the odd devices they were wearing. That was when a memory crept into her mind and she remembered who these three are supposed to be. Marinette gave the three a weary smile when she said cautiously, "Oh, you three must be the temporary transfer students we've been told about."

The heterochromatic teen nodded when they said, the device translating their words as they spoke, "Yes, we are." They placed their right hand on their chest when they added, "My name is Ki Soulkin." They moved their right hand to indicate the teen in the yukita when they introduced, "His name is Ishi Hikaru."

The teen in the yukita gave the bluette a small polite bow when he said, the device translating his words, "Hello." He looked at Marinette when he added as he tapped his ear with his left, "Telling you now, I'm hard-of-hearing, so please make sure to face me while you speak." Ishi chuckled before adding, "I might not be able to read your lips, but it'll help with the program."

Marinette nodded before she glanced at the tall teen when she asked. "And... Your name?" She was still a little on edge about this amber-eyed person.

The tall teen looked past the bluette when they said, "I'ma Kon Forest. You?"

The bluette was a little slow to register the question before she replied, "Oh, uh, I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng... I'm the class president of Miss Bustier's class..."

That got the tall teen's attention when they said, "Ah, you're the one we're supposed to meet with." They nodded to their companions when they added, "Ki and I will be joining your class full-time while Ishi's gunna be split between yours and a Ms Mendeleiev's class." Now that this person was being more open, the glare in his eyes didn't seem like a glare anymore.

Marinette managed to snap herself back when she said with a smile, "Right, that's what we've been told." She motioned her hands towards her classroom when she added, "Follow me to Miss Bustier's class if you don't mind."

The trio nodded as they followed Marinette towards their destination.

}I{ With Hawkmoth }I{

The villain tried to search for the negative emotions from the bluette, but there was nothing. It was gone! Yet again, Marinette Dupain-Cheng managed to elude him! Annoyingly so!

Hawkmoth growled in annoyance when he got out, "That girl has some unusual luck to always be able to unwittingly avoid me the way she does!"

}{ Back at Dupont }{

Kon, Ki, and Ishi introduced themselves to Miss Bustier's class and Ms Mendeleiev's class. They explained that they were going to stay in Paris for a while, mostly to test and improve the language device that Ki and Ishi were wearing. Kon wasn't wearing one since she already knew French and was acting as a mediator in case there were issues with the language device. Ishi also informed both classes that he was hard-of-hearing and advised them to face him completely when they spoke and to tap one of his shoulders from the side to get his attention.

There were two things that threw both classes for a loop: Kon was a girl and Ki was a guy. But that was no biggy to the classes.

}{ During Lunch }{

Of course, the two classes took full advantage of their lunch hour to talk to the trio of new students. So far, the only issue was that they couldn't talk over one another or talk to one of them at the same time as someone is talking to another, but there was a valid reason for that.

The translating device Ishi and Ki were using would get the questions mixed up or blended the question if it detected more than one person talking at the same time. So one person had to ask their question at a time.

Another issue that arose by accident was that Kon slid those headphones over her ears when one of the students asked their question a little too loudly. The explanation for that was simple, Kon was over-sensitive to loud noises. She couldn't stand it when things got too loud, so she always had those noise-cancelling headphones on her person, usually hanging around her neck.

The two classes apologised for getting too loud and tried to keep the volume in mind.

All too soon, it was time to return to class.

}I{ Three Days Later }I{

The transfer students were able to adjust to their new environment, despite ⅔ of them being dependent on their translators. Writing was an issue, since Ki and Ishi couldn't write in French, but the teachers worked out a solution to that from what they told the students. Whatever it was.

Miss Bustier was glad the trio was getting along well with the others. She did force herself to smile when she added, "I hope you three will also get along with Lila when she returns from that trip with her mother."

"Who?" Kon, Ki, and Ishi vocalised in confusion. As far as they knew, no one was missing from either class.

Alya was quick to explain with a smile, "Oh, Lila is our classmate who's been everywhere and knows, like every celebrity on top of going on so many adventures!" She didn't notice Marinette's look of annoyance or the rest of the class's cringing slightly.

Luckily, the transfer students didn't notice these, but Caline did and she couldn't help but wonder what that was about.

Ki raised a brow when he commented, "That's... Nice... Uh... How is she able to..." He made a circular motion with his right index finger in the air when he continued, "Do all that while attending school?" Even though the translated voice from the device had no emotion behind it, Ki's expression told the rest of the class what his emotions were.

Alya waved a hand when she said with that smile still on her face, "Oh, her mother is a Diplomat and her job takes her and Lila all over the world."

Kon, Ki, and Ishi stared at the blogger before they glanced at each other. The heterochromatic teen and the yukita-wearing teen were quick to check their translator as the green-haired teen asked in confusion, "Are you sure that this Lala's mother is a Diplomat?"

Everyone stared at the tall teenage girl, all but Marinette, Adrien, Max, and Markov, wondering why she was asking such a question.

Alya told the amber-eyed teen in an uncertain voice, "Um, her name is Lila and yes, her mother is a diplomat from Italy." The blogger wondered why the taller girl was asking.

As Ki and Ishi finished checking their translators, Kon stated in a blunt tone with a raised brow, "Then it's even stranger that Lola can travel so much. After all, the only world travelling Diplomats do is between the Host country and the Home country. Anything outside that isn't allowed unless they've been selected fur a United Nations meeting or aiding in a disaster to some extent."

Miss Bustier couldn't suppress her confusion when she got out, "Um, her name is Lila and... Are you sure that's true?" As her class looked at each other in confusion.

Kon nodded when she stated bluntly, "Yes, it's part of the Diplomat job." She turned to Ki when she asked, "But there should be a 'cool down' period between travelling trips, right?"

Ki nodded when he stated as if he was reading right out of a book, "There is, though that can vary depending on their rank, experience, and outside factors such as family emergencies." The class was rather surprised by how... Out of nowhere and oddly concrete that sounded.

Ishi couldn't help but throw in, "Meaning, Lila and her mother shouldn't be travelling all over the globe unless it is to Italy and France." He then added as he scratched his cheek, "So either Lila's mother had a different job that makes her travel a lot or Lila might've mistaken her mother's occupation..."

Miss Bustier stared at the trio for longer than she would've liked before she finally said, "Um... I'm going to have to talk to Mr Damocles about... That later in the week..." The rest of class glanced at each other, some unsure about what they had heard and some growing more suspicious.

~}I{~

}{ Smiling Suspicion Chat Group }{

Tiny Actress: "Um... Guys... I hate to be the one to bring this up... But..."

Teddy Bear: "Yeah, no... If what they're saying is true..."

Rollersnake: "Then Lila's mum isn't a Diplomat... To either Italy or any country."

Ladyblogger: "There…"

Ladyblogger: "There has to be a..."

Ladyblogger: "A reasonable explanation for that..."

Gothic Girlfriend: "Alya... I think you're reaching on this."

Poison Ivy: "Yeah... I mean, even if Lila was mistaken about her Mum's job..."

LB Artist: "No, I agree. Even if she thought her mum was a diplomat, that wouldn't explain all those travels to all these different places..."

LB Artist: "And Skyping from each of those locations w/o any issue..."

Heartstrings: "Hm... How often has Lila Skyped w/ ur class when she was Travelling?"

Ladyblogger: "Roughly every two to three days when she's travelling with her Mum."

Anything's Possible: "Yeah, that tracks."

Heartstrings: "And Nath is correct about there not being any issue W/ the connection?"

Rollersnake: "Yup, pretty much."

Gothic Girlfriend: "Oh... I think I know what you're thinking, Luka."

Heartstrings: "Yeah."

Poison Ivy: "Huh?"

Poison Ivy: "Oh! I c now!"

Poison Ivy: "When the Liberty has to change docks, you two sometimes get spotty reception! I assume that it's the same for international travels, correct?"

Heartstrings: "Well, yes, but I also had a school trip to England one year and my phone had trouble getting a Stable signal when I wasn't at the hotel."

Heartstrings: "I think it was because the signal towers in England worked differently than the ones here in Paris. or something like that."

Heartstrings: "Even if Lila was used to these kinds of things, there would still be some kind of connection trouble outside of a building or in a remote/rural location."

Gothic Girlfriend: "So it IS a little weird that Lila has always been able to have a perfect internet connection. Now that we're bringing that up."

Ladyblogger: "..."

Ladyblogger: "There..."

Ladyblogger: "There has to be an explanation for that..."

Ladyblogger: "There has to…"

Anything's Possible: "Alya."

Anything's Possible: "Are you asking that because you don't want to believe that Lila has been deceiving us about where she's travelling to or do you hope there's a reason that Lilahas had perfect internet connection every time?"

Ladyblogger: "Both, tbh..."

Ladyblogger: "I mean..."

Ladyblogger: "If the Transfers are right about Mrs Rossi's occupation and the main reason for their travels..."

Tiny Actress: "Well... Her mother IS the one signing off on the paperwork for the excused absences... I would assume the reason for it would be on these."

Tiny Actress: "And I'm NOT bringing this up because I want someone breaking into the files!"

Tiny Actress: "I'm bringing this up because Mrs Rossi had to have handled the paperwork and wrote the real reason for the travels."

Teddy Bear: "We can ask Miss Bustier after she's done talking to Damocles."

LB Artist: "Surely the Headmaster knows the truth regarding the paperwork."

}{

Damocles was looking through all the paperwork from Mrs Rossi with a raised brow. It wasn't something major or out of place, but more something that was a little too consistent...

Damocles compared the two signatures of Mrs Rossi with just his eyes. So far, they looked pretty damn identical to the Headmaster... Which was rather strange... Damocles might not have been a handwriting expert, but he's seen enough samples of signatures from staff members, parents, guardians, and students to know that there were always slight deviations between one signature and another. Always looking similar but never truly identical. Never completely identical...

Damocles pulled out a magnifying glass to get a closer look at the signatures but that only proved what he already suspected. Although, he did notice something else while looking at the signatures.

"Huh?" Damocles vocalised when he noticed an oddity through his magnifying glass. He looked at the writings on the paper again and noticed that the ink of the signature looked printed on rather than actually written on the paper with a pen or marker. Damocles narrowed his eyes at this discovery before he looked at another one of the papers Mrs Rossi signed, only to find the same thing... So the Headmaster combed over what he could of the hardcopy documents of the paperwork Mrs Rossi had to sign.

They all looked like they were printed on the paper rather than written...

Damocles pulled away from the papers and put the magnifying glass down as he wondered what this could possibly mean.

}{

Ki gently scratched the pen's tip along the paper. carefully forming a meticulous detailed image of Alix in a leaping pose with a joyous expression. The back of the sketchbook acts as a board to keep things steady. Not once did Ki looked up from his task, not even when the small crowd of Mendeleiev and Buster's classes cheered at the action before them.

Nath noticed the heterochromatic teen's drawing and was rather impressed with the attention to detail. Marc had to agree with their boyfriend on the artwork. It didn't take long before the three were talking about the types of art while the rest of the classes enjoyed the ongoing event.

}{ About an Hour Later }{

Adrien couldn't help but stare at the... Collapsible and portable piano keyboard on the table in the canteen when he asked, "Does that... Work?" He had never seen such a thing outside pretend piano keyboards, so, of course, he wondered if it functioned or not.

Instead of answering with words, Kon ran her fingers over the keys of the unusual instrument. The corresponding musical notes filled the air almost instantaneously.

Adrien, as well as the other students, were awestruck by this. The blonde model couldn't help but ask, "Can you play that?"

Kon nodded when she stated bluntly, "Of course, I can." She then started playing Music of the Night from Phantom of the Opera when she added, "I have a few memorised songs I can play on this. But, I'll need the music scores to play the other ones." Kon didn't miss a note as she continued playing while she said, "Although, I prefer to experiment with music combos with Ki and Ishi."

Everyone turned to the two other temporary transfers at this.

"I play the violin," Ki stated as he moved his arms as he was holding said musical instrument, even moving his right arm. Almost as if he were playing an invisible violin.

Ishi moved his arms to make it seem like he was holding a flute, ready to play, when he said, "Ocarina for me."

Ki then explained, "We have a couple of different hobbies. Music is one of our more fun and relaxing hobbies."

"Cool," was what some of the Dupont students got out before the members of Kitty Section told the Transfers that they had a band and if they wanted to sit in on a few sessions

Adrien wanted to try the foldable and Portable Piano Keyboard, to feel for himself how it worked. Kon allowed it, and the blonde played a few keys. When Adrien realised that this strange instrument worked just like a grand piano, he played a few more keys before his fingers danced across the keyboard as the familiar song of Ode to Joy filled the canteen.

It was a fun little break from the usual day.

~}I{~

Max looked over the code, checking for any flaws. When he found none, he ran the program. Max let out a breath when he told Markov, "I hope this works, but if not, at least We'll narrow down the search radius for Hawkmoth's lair."

Markov happily chimed in, "Affirmative, and even if things don't go as planned, we will still find clues to finding him."

Max nodded when he stated, "True, even if it might take a while." He got up from this computer to stretch as he said, "would you like to continue reading our chosen books?"

Markov beeped cheerfully at the suggestion.

~}I{~

}I{ Smiling Agent: First Encounter }I{

I sometimes wondered if it was because he was four-years-old or if it was because of his parents, but little Topaz seemed to understand more than one his age would know. At least in a typical sense.

"Отец and Mãe no like when schools no follow deir wules," little Topaz said as he finished a row of his crocheting project.

I... Don't know why a 4-year-old boy would be into crocheting of all things, or how he was articulate enough to crochet... Well, he is using a bigger crocheting needle with large yarn string,So it was probably better with the smaller hands... I think... I don't know enough about this kind of thing to comfortably answer that...

But as long as he's happy and doesn't hurt anyone, I guess it's fine. Hopefully...

And why are we talking about schools? Well, little Topaz recently started kindergarten and I asked him about it.

But all he did was shrug and say, "It okay, but too much pwaytime..."

Not something a typical 4-year-old would think, that's for sure.

So I asked him what he originally meant by his earlier statement about his parents not liking when schools don't follow their own rules.

Little Topaz looked over his lopsided project when he explained best he could, "Wast year, da school Sis went to was supposed to be weal big on secuwity. Like, you gotta bring yous ID card and be on a wist to pick up a kid kind of secuwity."

I assumed there's a reason for that, so I asked if anything happened at Serpentine's school last year.

Little Topaz nodded when he said, "Yup, some bad guys twied to hack into da school's system to twick da school staff dat deir on da wist for Sis."

Oh, I'm starting to see where this is going. So I asked the 4-year-old if this had anything to do with their parents' job.

Little Topaz nodded when he said, "Yup, da bad guys wanted to use Sis to get to Отец and Mãe. Dey somehow found out where Sis went to school, and tought up dat pwan." He started back up on his crocheting when he added, "Dey no get inta da school systems in time, but da school staff handed Sis over to dem even dough no looking at wist and Sis telling dem she no know da bad guy."

Oh! I can see how that was an issue and cause any parent to go mad with rage.

I told little Topaz that I could assume that their parents were able to get Serpentine back.

The 4-year-old shook his head when he said, "No, da bad guy who took Sis went to da powice and told dem what happened."

I had to ask him to repeat that, to which he did. It took another listen to understand.

I had to assume that whoever was tasked with abducting Serpentine was more than a little unnerved by how the staff willingly gave one of their wards over to someone the ward stated that they didn't know and without checking the list that had the approved adults for the kids, I can understand Smiling Agent and Constrictor's anger and the would-be abductor uneasiness.

I told little Topaz that I can assume that the school got in trouble for that incident.

"Yup," the 4-year-old chirped as he continued his project. "Weally big twouble," little Topaz added as he stuck out his tongue to fix a dropped stitch. He then stated, "After dat, Отец and Mãe made sure da schools are super safe and we can defend us-selfs."

I can only imagine that was the case...

Wait?

Us-selfs? What does that mean?

Little Topaz looked up at me with those big innocent eyes.

And with that, he smiled happily.

}I{

Marinette yawned before she glanced at Tikki, who already put the bookmark in place. The Ladybug Holder closed the book and placed it on her nightstand. She then turned the lamp off and snuggled into bed with the little sprite already settling on her favourite pillow.

Soon, they fell asleep.

~}I{~

Adrien was in his room when he got a call from Nathalie, which in itself wasn't weird, but the call... That was another story and not the way you would think...

"Um... Can you repeat that?" Adrien asked with a raised brow as he sat on the couch in front of his telly. The blonde model was lounging in his room with the show he was watching with Plagg, paused for the phone conversation.

Nathalie repeated her sentence again, but the sounds of some kind of feedback kept overtaking the call.

Plagg was confused by this oddity as Adrien asked the secretary, "Um, Nathalie... Are you near a magnet or something? I'm getting a lot of feedback from your end?"

Nathalie's voice barely overtook the feedback when she asked, "What *zzt* you *zzt* about? * zzt* not near *zzt*-thing. Please listen * zzt*."

Adrien was having a hard time trying to keep up with the essential one-sided conversation. Plagg was wondering if there was something wrong with his Holder's phone when the blonde ended up telling the secretary to text him what his Father wants, adding that he can't hear her over the feedback. Once he got confirmation, he hung up.

Plagg floated with his paws folded when he asked, "Is it time for you to get a new phone or something? You've never had that much issue talking on a call."

Adrien shrugged when he said, "Maybe, but still... " He grabbed the remote and unpaused the show when he added, "Then again, I do have an older model. It might be time to get a new one."

It wasn't until an hour later that a knock was heard on the door. Of course, Plagg hid under the couch before Adrien told whoever knocked to come in.

Marques came in with an unsure look. When he saw that his ward's attention was on him, he signed, "Adrien... Is everything alright?"

Adrien was confused when he replied, "Everything's fine, just waiting until Nino calls with details of the outing."

Now it was Marques's turn to be confused. He then signed, "And you have a ready excuse planned to tell your Father as to why you're going to be late for the photo shoot today?"

Adrien's only response was, "What photoshoot? Father said I didn't have one today! That's why I said yes to going to the class outing! He promised that there would be No photoshoots today!"

Marques didn't know what to tell his ward regarding... That...

Nathalie then came into Adrien's room when she snapped sternly at the teen to get downstairs so he could get to the photoshoot on time.

Of course, Adrien was upset about this. Gabriel promised that he would have the day off, and promised that he could spend time with his friends.

Nathalie was stern when she stated, "Adrien, I explained why we were having this photoshoot over the phone. Were you not paying attention, at all."

Adrien waved his hands in a 'wait a minute' gesture when he retorted, "And I told you! I was getting too much feedback noise to hear you properly and asked you to text me! Did you not hear me tell you that?" He could usually depend on the Secretary to understand him, but this time was just so weird.

Nathalie huffed when she folded her arms and stated, "I cannot believe you would use such an excuse, or that you would actually ignore and lie to me!"

Adrien was quick to retort, "I wasn't! And I did hear you confirm that you would text me!"

Marques had to get between the two to stop the 'argument'. He told the secretary that Adrien wouldn't do such a thing to her and that he was surprised to hear about the photoshoot when he was told. Marques did add that the teen could not lie about something that could be serious.

Nathalie pushed her glasses up when she stated seriously, "Well, I didn't hear any 'feedback' that Adrien mentioned and I was on the other side of the mansion." She then told the two to be in the car in no longer than five minutes before she left.

Marques looked at a still shocked Adrien in confusion. The teen was quick to say, "I wasn't lying! There was a lot of feedback on the call! I really couldn't hear anything she was saying..."

Marques knew the blonde well enough to know he wouldn't lie about this kind of thing, so he asked Adrien to call his cell as a test.

The teen did just that.

Both Adrien's and Marques's phones had an unusually large amount of feedback emitting from them, and no one was even talking into them. Both hung up almost immediately.

Marques stared at the phones before he signed, "That was weird, but it does prove you were telling the truth."

Adrien had an 'I told you so' expression, until he realised that it won't take away the fact that he had a photoshoot.

Marques gave the teen a sympathetic pat on the shoulder before they left Adrien's room.

}I{

"Is Adrianne not joining us?" Kon asked when she identified the look on Nino's face as 'disappointment'.

The rest of Miss Bustier's class thought it was odd for the tall girl to call Adrien, Adrianne, but they figured they were mishearing it because of her accent.

Nino glanced between his classmates and his phone when he stated with a sigh, "Yeah... Adrien's old man sprang a photoshoot on him today despite saying he had the day off..."

Ivan frowned when he got out dryly, "Again,"

Ishi noticed the tension in the air when he asked, "I'm going to take an educated guess that Mr Agreste doesn't keep his word often, does he?"

The response was almost unanimous When the rest of Miss Bustier's class said, "Nope."

Chloe then added bitterly, "He's been doing it more often than he did in the past." She folded her arm with a huff.

Sabrina couldn't help but add, "Well, Adrien wasn't always a model for the Gabriel Brand..."

Chloe retorted bitterly, "Oh, please, Aunty Emilie made damn sure Adrikins spent some time with us! Ever since she disappeared, it's been 'model anytime I tell you to no matter if I promised otherwise' with Gab! Even more so recently!" The orangette tried to refute that but the mayor's daughter retorted, "Oh yeah? When was the last time we had a get together with Adrikins that actually lasted the entire promised time?"

Sabrina had no response to that. Or rather, she couldn't remember one that fit that criteria...

Ki couldn't help but say with a concerned look, "I know that there are some cultures that enforce a family lineage job line, but even those cultures allow the child or children to have time to themselves to do what they please. Mr Agreste... Doesn't seem to even keep his word to Adrien about letting him have guaranteed time off..."

Alix couldn't help but say with a huff, "That's the stupid norm with the dick." She got elbowed in the arm by Nath for that. The pink-haired girl looked at her friend when she got out in a disbelieving tone, "What? It's true."

Ki caught onto what was going on before he said, "No need to censor things around us. We're teens too and the translator already does that."

"Oh," the others commented in an unsure manner.

Kim couldn't help but say, "Uh, so yeah, Mr Agreste is a jerk for being super controlling of Adrien and there are a lot of other things that are raising some alarm bells with the teachers."

Marinette had to ask the tall teen, "Kim, where did... That come from?"

Nino kept a cautious eye on the interaction.

Kim rubbed the back of his neck when he explained, "I kind of overheard the Dupont staff talking about their worries about things they heard from another staff member about Adrien... I think one or two of them talked about Mr Agreste being so controlling that he even oversees Adrien's hair styling."

The athlete didn't seem sure about that last part, nor did the majority of the class, but Ishi cautiously asked, "Um, Kim... By any chance, did the staff use the words "Mr Agreste is grooming Adrien" in some way or order?"

Kim lit up when he said with a smile, "Yeah! That was what they said!" He folded his arms when he mused in an unsure tone, "I don't know how they knew that Mr Agreste was so fanatical regarding Adrien's hair, but that totally fits with the guy's over-controlling nature."

The more innocent-minded members of the group were still unsure of that statement, but the ones who knew better... That made them question what happened to make the school staff go down that rabbit hole. Nino might've known more, but even he didn't know where that thought came from.

Rose tried to get focus back on the outing but even then, they were worried about their friend.

}I{

Marques did NOT like what he was seeing on the improv photoshoot. NOT At All. Of course, he used his phone to collect evidence of the unwanted attention Lila was giving Adrien, despite pretty much everyone telling her to stop. Of course, it was all video recording, since Marques didn't want to leave anything up to chance.

Yes, the bodyguard asked the staff at this shoot if Lila's current behaviours happened at every photoshoot. The staff were confused when they told him that it was and that he should already know that since he's witnessed these too.

Marques was baffled by this. After all, he didn't have any memories about seeing Lila feeling Adrien up... Or any photoshoot Lila had with Adrien...

The bodyguard glanced to where his planner was in his inner jacket pocket as the realisation of this oddity sank in... More proof that something was going wrong with his memories... Marques needed to make an appointment with the certified individual, ASAP. After this unpleasant job is officially over.

Unfortunately, It dragged on! All because Lila tried to undermine the directions of the shoots several times by trying to convince anyone who would listen that the closeness of the models will bring out the clothes better! While having her hands on Adrien in some way or another, a few with her practically leaning on Adrien! That was the major issue, Lila was ALWAYS touching Adrien despite literally EVERYONE on the set telling her to pull back on the contact or to stop!

Marques just couldn't sit back and let it happen! Not this time, apparently!

Lila was harming Adrien physically and mentally! Lila was a threat to Adrien!

So Marques dragged Lila away from Adrien, off the shoot, and shoved her in her changing trailer. He then blocked the door so Lila couldn't get out.

Yeah, sure, it might've been a little extreme, but if Lila wasn't going to follow directions and keep her hands off Adrien, then This was a reasonable punishment.

Well, none of the others on the photoshoot were complaining. In fact, a few applauded the Gorilla's actions and told him that they would cover for him if Lila tries to report him.

Marques was fine with that, but as long as Adrien was safe, that was all that mattered to him.

~}I{ The Next School Day }I{~

The first thing Marinette noticed when she arrived in class, early for once, was that the three transfers were already there and that Kon was reading a book. According to the title on the book cover, the book was called 'Agente Sorridente: Não é o que Parece'.

Marinette walked over to the tall girl and asked, "What are you reading?"

Kon's eyes didn't leave the book when she answered, "Smiling Agent: Not as it Seems. It's the 2nd volume in the series."

Marinette couldn't help but say, "Lucky! France has another week before we get that translated." She then asked as she pointed at the book, "What language is that in?"

Kon turned the page when She replied, "Portuguese." She glanced at the class rep when she asked. "Do ya want to read it?"

Marinette let out a sigh when she Said with a small smile, "I wish, but I can't read anything outside French and the Mandarin-Chinese dialect (2)."

Ishi chuckled when he said, "Kon knows a few of the Chinese dialects." He had a sly smile on his face.

Marinette couldn't help but be impressed when she asked the tall girl, "I'm Impressed that you can speak two languages and read a third."

Kon bookmarked her place when she stated, "I know 13 languages, not including dialects. I'ma fluent in Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, and English."

Ki couldn't help but say, "We can vouch for that." He snickered when he added, "But that doesn't include slang from certain careers." Kon shot him a look at the last sentence.

Marinette stared at the trio for a bit before she asked, "Why do you know so many languages?" Yeah, she thought that Kon could've been lying, but she was being backed by others and gave some specifics.

Kon thought about that question for a few seconds before she finally replied, "My Parents' main job makes them travel a lot. About 75% of the time, they take my little brother and I with'm. They taught us the most spoken languages in the world."

Ishi then threw in, "Ki and I came along this time due to a school program. Plus, we volunteered to test the translator device."

Marinette did have her doubts, but unlike Lila, Kon was able to provide an explanation other than 'Oh, it's because I'm a wonderful person and people love me' excuse. Explanations that felt more solid.

It was a strange contrast between Lila and Kon as the Ladybug holder had noticed. Both 'claim' to travel a lot due to their parents' job, but they go about that fact very differently. Lila practically bragged about being able to travel to all these places and wanted to be known for her 'exciting life', while Kon was pretty nonchalant about the fact and didn't talk about it unless directly asked but even then she acted like it was no big deal. It was so strange to Marinette.

Ki seemed to notice the thought process of the class rep when he asked her, "Marinette? Is everything alright?"

Marinette snapped out of her thoughts before she said with a small smile, "Everything's fine. I was wondering if you two also read the Smiling Agent series."

That sparked a lovely conversation. One that Chloe and Sabrina happily joined in. Others joined too, Adrien was more than happy to contribute to the conversation. They continued talking until Miss Bustier started the class.

~}I{~

Marques had a stern expression as he looked over his anonymous employee complaint form against Lila Rossi. He wanted to leave no room for her to weasel out of it. The video evidence was clear, wording was direct and detailed, and it was neatly organised.

Marques huffed as he sent the official complaint to Gabriel and Nathalie. He hoped that they would take the appropriate and mandatory measures regarding sexual assault in the business. If not, well, the TVi station would be more than willing to do an improv news coverage of these clear recordings of Lila ignoring instructions and feeling up Adrien that would anonymously appear in their inbox. Not like either Gabriel or Nathalie would even notice that it would happen anyway as of late…

Now that that was done, Marques' next priority is making an appointment with that neurologist to help solve or figure out his memory issues...

Once the Gorilla did that, he couldn't help but look through his planner as he tried to remember these... Blanks within these dates... But outside picking up Adrien to go to the photoshoots and returning to the Agreste Manor... Marques had no memories of the actual photo shoots... However, there was one consistent thing involving these 'memory blanks'...

But... Why was Lila Rossi the link to his memory issue?

Marques was hoping for answers to this soon...

}I{

Lila didn't know what to think about these "Transfers"... Well, yeah, she was upset that they came while she was 'away', but they'll be under her spell soon enough. So no big deal. Lila nodded and said that she understood everything her gullible teacher told her about these transfers even though she didn't listen to a single word she said, Lila had more important things to think about.

The weird device was... Something though... Sure she could've spun some tale of being an honorary niece or something to whoever invented it, but she didn't get a chance to do that, or rather, the topic of those things didn't come up.

No big deal, it still wouldn't be long before those three were under Lila's thumb.

}I{

For some reason, Miss Bustier felt something off, but she couldn't figure out what...

So she went over a check-list of things that have happened recently.

The talk with Nino regarding Adrien's home life... Nothing new with that this week.

Keeping an eye on Lila's interaction with Adrien... Well, given that Nino seemed to be helping with keeping up a boundary. Plus, she was out of school for a week.

Making sure that the temporary transfers are welcomed and get settled in... That was already going very well. Sure, she was worried about Marinette, due to past events, but the class rep was getting a lot better than she was with Lila, thankfully enough.

Talk to Damocles about Mrs Rossi's Occupation and the paperwork for Lila... Going to do that today, so it couldn't be this.

Informing Lila about Ishi's hearing impairment... Miss Bustier did that when Lila came back and she confirmed that she understood everything. The teacher thought they could trade tips about working around their similar disabilities. Lila confirmed that she understood, so it couldn't be this...

Miss Bustier tapped her chin as she tried to think about what else this weird feeling could be.

}I{

Lila preened as she told her class what she did 'during her mother's work trip' and they were eating it up. Well, everyone but Marinette, Chloe, Sabrina, Adrien, Nino, and the three transfers. These 8 are missing from the group for some reason.

Yes, Lila was annoyed that Adrien wasn't there. Of course, he should be around to fawn over her or at least start falling for her. Lila already called Gabe about that brute of a bodyguard, the guy should be dealt with easily enough.

}{

With the missing 8, they were happily chatting about the Smiling Agent series and a few other books Adrien could listen to.

}I{

Marques Garde was both confused and suspicious, something he never thought he would feel at the same time.

Confused over the fact that his boss was scolding him for his actions against Lila and ordered him to treat her as he would the other models.

The suspicion bubbled up when he wondered how Gabriel knew exactly what he did on that photoshoot. After all, the Gabriel Brand employees told him with excited smiles that they would cover for him, meaning that they weren't going to report him locking Lila in her dressing room and were willing to lie for him... Adrien wouldn't have told Gabriel about that because he wouldn't want to get him in trouble and was relieved that he got Lila away from him. And Marques certainly didn't inform the boss about it, in both in person or in the harassment report that he is still waiting to be acted on.

That left one possibility... But... How would she? Lila didn't have a meeting with Mr Agreste, the house staff would have alerted him if that happened... So that left...

Marques shook his head at the thought.

After all, there was no way Mr Agreste of the Gabriel Brand would ever give some teen His cell phone number, even if she was one of his models.

Besides, if the guy doesn't talk to his own son over the phone, why would he talk to Lila? Plus, the implication would be such a serious scandal and Mr Agreste wouldn't risk that.

Marques let out a huff as he went to 'talk' to the employees on that shoot to figure out who told Mr Agreste about his actions to keep Lila off Adrien. Then he was hit with the memory of the order to treat Lila Rossi with the respect of the other models and to ignore her indiscretions.

Marques rubbed his temples when his head started hurting.

He shook his head to shake off the headache when he told himself that Lila was a threat to Adrien's wellbeing and needed to be kept away from him.

The bodyguard blinked as the headache vanished as suddenly as it appeared. Marques was weirded out by that, but maybe he should mention it to the neurologist during his appointment.

With that, the Gorilla headed off to find the rat.

~}I{~

As soon as school let out, Lila was quick to seek out Adrien. She found him, however…

'What is he doing with that trans-tramp?' Lila thought bitterly as she watched/spied on Adrien happily chatting with Kon from across the room. Since she was too far away, she couldn't hear what they were talking about.

Lila continued to glare at the two until Adrien bid the tall girl a goodbye. With a smirk, the liar took the chance to 'nicely' tell that Transfer that her Adrien was taken, not like she had a chance in the first place.

Kon grabbed her bag as she readied to meet up with Ki and Ishi in the front of the school. She thought about the bakery that they were going to go to soon and wondered if they were as friendly as they were told. Kon was about to leave when she was intercepted by Lila, who loudly greeted her much to the taller girl's dismay.

"Uh, hello... " Kon got out as they rubbed their ears as she looked past the brunette. The green-haired teen then asked the other in an unsure tone, "Uh, Leena, right?"

Lila tried to hide her annoyance when she said with a smile, "It's Lila." But she couldn't help but think, 'How stupid is this trans-tramp to not get MY name right!'

Kon nodded when she asked, while looking past the liar, "Do you want to ask me somethin'?"

Lila tittered out loud, "Oh, no! I just wanted to say hi!" Ignoring the fact that the other took a few steps back while cringing at the volume.

Kon replied in a confused and unsure tone, "Uh, okay, um, you do know that you don't have to shout, right?" They wondered why the brunette in front of her was being so loud despite the two of them standing next to each other while inside.

Lila was quick to titter off that she was just being friendly before she told the tall girl, "I couldn't help but notice that you were also friendly towards Adrien." She sounded nice and pleasant, but it was simply a mask.

Kon was a little confused when she said, "Of course, we were friendly, we're classmates and we were talkin' about a shared interest." They raised a brow when they asked, "You're also classmates with Adrianne, so shouldn't you also be friends with 'er?" From what Kon observed in Miss Bustier's class, everyone was friends with one another. Well, aside from this Lina and the class rep, but that's nothing abnormal from the green-haired girl's point of view. There were always two or more people in a class that didn't get along.

That was when Lila made her move when she said with a pleasant smile, "Oh! We're more than friends. I'm Adrien's girlfriend!" The liar was expecting a strong reaction, but all she got was a single raised brow from the taller girl.

Kon was unsure about the information she just revealed when she said, "That's... Nice," Her expression was easily read as 'why are you telling me this?' when she added, "I'm glad you're comf'rtable with tellin' me that, but I kinda do need to leave. my friends are waiting for me."

Lila tittered off, "Okay! See you tomorrow!" Then she spun around and walked away without looking back.

Kon had a perplexed look on her face as she watched the brunette leave. She thought about the conversation before they wondered, 'Did she just talk to me to tell me that she was Adrianne's girlfriend?" Kon didn't understand why the brunette would do something like that as she headed to the meet point with their friends.

Perhaps Ki and Ishi might have an idea.

~}I{~

Ladybug waited on the roof of Notre Dame for Chat Noir to show. She took a deep breath as she thought about the whole situation and how much she prepared for it.

Yes, she didn't do the identity reveal right away, due to a late-night Akuma and Chat missing a lot of his patrol nights... This made Ladybug worry more about her Hero partner, now that she knew that his home life wasn't...

Ladybug shook her head to keep herself from spiralling down that hole. She needed to keep calm, and she needed to be there for chat Noir. Especially under the mask...

The red-clad hero looked around for the familiar figure of her friend. Her yo-yo beeped an alert, making her jump. Ladybug was quick to check the message.

"You got this, and I'm sure whoever Chat Noir is, he'll still care about you and you him. Ares."

Ladybug read the text twice before she took a deep breath and smiled. This made her feel better.

It's been great since Max found out her identity, so the chances are high that it'll be the same with Chat Noir. The black cat Holder already cared about her and she him, this will make them closer. This was a good thing. Something that could help them take down Hawkmoth. And after that, everything can settle down and everyone becomes the best of friends that will last well into their adulthood.

Ladybug was now calmer.

She can do this… She will.

Soon enough, Chat Noir appeared.

The Black cat Holder gave the other hero an exaggerated bow when he said, "Good evening, m' lady."

Ladybug couldn't help but smile at her partner's antics when she said. "Good evening, chatton. Nice to see that you're in a good mood." She ignored the small twinge of pain in her chest when she bitterly remembered that the persona her partner wore could be a mask... 'No! Don't think about that now!' Ladybug thought to herself before she asked the other in a composed but worried tone, "Is everything okay? You've haven't been out as often and you've been bugging out as soon as the Akuma are defeated."

Chat Noir rubbed the back of his neck when he said self-consciously, "Things in my personal life have been... Hectic as of late," He looked at the other when he asked with more of a chipper tone, "Son, what's the important news you wanted to tell me?"

Ladybug took a deep breath before She said, "That we're going to do an Identity Reveal. Just us."

Chat Noir had a dumbfounded expression for ten solid seconds before he asked in shock, "Uh, can you repeat that?"

Ladybug wrapped her arms around herself when she said, "An identity reveal… Just us, for now."

Chat Noir was speechless for a few seconds before he asked, "Your favourite flower?"

Ladybug's response was immediate, "Blue bottle Plant." She was glad that they had this protocol with all the miraculous Heroes, it made it easy to find allies in a sea of look-alikes.

Chat Noir was happy but he had to ask, "Does the Guardian know we're doing this?"

Ladybug nodded when she said, "He does, and he approves." She was careful when she stated, "Some recent events caused him to... Re-assess the Rules and how they were carried out." Ladybug then added, "We're going to keep the circle small and work our way out with the other miraculous Holders. The ones who we choose who will be permanent."

Chat Noir was elated at this news! How could he not! He was finally going to learn who his lady was! And he him.

Soon they agreed, on the count of three.

Two.

One.

"Plagg/Tikki! Claws in/Spots off!"

One de-transformation later, Adrien and Marinette opened their eyes and were shocked at who was standing in front of them.

"Adrien/Marinette?!" they got out with wide eyes.

~}I{~

Ki tapped his chin when he asked the taller teen in his native tongue, neither he nor Ishi were wearing their Translators right now since it was just them, "{So she simply… Walked up to you and essentially told you that she was Adrianne's girlfriend? Without warning?}"

Kon nodded when she replied, "{Yes, and right after Adrianne left. It was kind of weird.}"

Ishi folded his arms when he stated, "{I don't know about you two, but the timing of Lila's appearance is a little suspicious.}" The slit-eyed teen then added, "{Plus, if she was Adrianne's girlfriend and was as close to her as she claims, then shouldn't she know why Adrianne was talking to you, Kon?}"

The taller teen scratched the side of her cheek when she said,"{I would think so, but teenage couples are still figuring things out and don't talk about everything deemed minor.}"

Ishi didn't seem convinced but Ki suggested, "{Maybe she felt you were 'flirting' with Adrianne? Somehow...}"

Even then, none of the three were sure of that theory. After all, Kon didn't understand flirting, at all.

}{

Nino had been debating on this for a while, given the situation.

Should he tell the Smiling Suspicion Group about Lila was not respecting Adrien's boundaries or not.

True, the pros were good but the cons were too varied and bad.

So Nino talked with his mothers about this, hoping that they could help him.

And they did... And also put in a reminder to talk to Miss Bustier about the 'issues' with Adrien.

~}I{ Smiling Suspicions Chat Group }I{~

Turntables: "Hey, guys,"

Turntables: "I have something I need to tell you."

Turntables: "And it's serious."

}I{

Marques interrogated everyone at that photo shoot... And... It became clear that Lila WAS the one who told Mr Agreste about what happened... But...

Marques was walking around the mansion without a destination in mind as he went over the rather creepy and suspicious facts that he learned today… Compounding the information he learned prior... The picture the bodyguard was forming was NOT pretty! Marques sucked in a breath before letting it out slowly as he wondered what the actual hell his boss was thinking!?

Even if there WAS somehow an innocent explanation for why Gabriel was communicating directly with Lila, which by this point Marques was very much doubting, it was completely unprofessional and rather creepy!

For goodness sake! Lila Rossi was Adrien's age! And it reminded the bodyguard about the point that Nino brought up when he was recruited into this "Protect Adrien Group".

Marques paused as he placed a hand on his chin as he walked into Adrien's room. He wasn't surprised that his ward wasn't there, the teen already texted him that he was sneaking out to get ice cream from Andre in disguise. The bodyguard couldn't blame the poor teen for doing this, and as long as Adrien got back before Nathalie or Gabriel noticed, he was okay with this. Besides, Adrien knew the Help code to send to him.

Marques sat on the couch as he wondered why, and most importantly, how Gabriel would trust this random teenage girl over his own son and loyal bodyguard?

Something wasn't right about this situation...

The Gorilla thought over what he knew first-hand about Lila Rossi… She seemed to lie a lot, even when she honestly didn't have to... Very clingy to Adrien, uncomfortably so but slowly creeping into the inappropriate zone… Loved to be the centre of attention, according to both Adrien and Nino, it was true at school... From what he Does remember, Lila was rather unprofessional on the photo shoots despite claiming to have the experience... Though considering Lila's lying habit, that last part was to be taken with a huge pinch of salt...

Wait a second...

Did Gabriel or Nathalie even do a basic background check or work history check on Lila Rossi before hiring her? That should've been the first thing they should've done to confirm any prior experience she claimed to have...

Marques pulled his cell phone out and did an unofficial background check on Lila Rossi.

For some reason... His phone lagged the entire search… Marques thought that a little odd, but he was able to get the information he needed... Or lack thereof… Only the Ladyblog and the Official Gabriel Brand website came up as the official sources in this search... The unofficial sources were some concerning fan comments regarding the recent Gabriel Brand magazine...

NOW the Agreste bodyguard was really suspicious about why Mr Agreste hired someone who had essentially lied to get into his mansion, lied about her experience that he didn't check to confirm, had private meetings with this lying teenage girl in his mansion, and was apparently in direct communication with her.

Of course, Marques saved what he found. While a little irritated by how slow his phone was, he got some proof that his boss didn't do the one thing every business owner was supposed to do. Especially if this person was going to work with their child or children, and given how 'Protective' Gabriel was… Marques assumed that Mr Agreste would've done three different background checks and hired a Private Investigator to do a little more of an in-depth investigation of the Rossi family.

Marques let out a sigh as he pocketed his phone as he wondered what kind of mess Mr Agreste got himself into that got Adrien in the crossfire...

}I{ Smiling Suspicions Chat Group }I{

Rollersnake: "Okay, If no one is going to text it, I will."

Rollersnake: "How the freaking hell did we miss all the freaking signs?!"

Turntables: "Given that Adrien was "Taught" that he should put up with being touched, even if he doesn't like it, and if there's no blood coming out of the 'booboos' then he is 'fine' and shouldn't worry."

Turntables: "So I don't think that the 'Signs' were easy to spot, plus Lila DID gaslighted us to think that 'Adrien doesn't mind and would totally tell her if he's uncomfortable'... So that's a factor."

LB Artist: "Um... Nino... Did you just use the word 'Booboos' in your sentence?"

Turntables: "Yes, I did."

Poison Ivy: "Why?"

Turntables: "Because that's the exact word he used when I asked him about some nail marks on his arm. And before anyone asks, I think they might be from a co-worker from the Gabriel Brand, given how many he had."

Gothic Girlfriend: "Okay, the fact that he used a word that is used by little kids..."

Tiny Actress: "... Nino... How quickly did Adrien respond to your question regarding the nail marks?"

Turntables: "Automatically, He has that entire line memorised to the point that he doesn't realised he'd been using a 'kidish' word..."

Anything's Possible: "..."

Anything's Possible: "That doesn't paint a good picture of Adrien's parents…"

LB Artist: "Nope."

Rollersnake: "Okay, when you explain it like that… I feel less awful about letting the unwanted attention Adrien was getting from Lila get so bad,"

Rollersnake: "I still feel bad about it, but if Adrien was never taught to enforce his boundaries, or have any boundaries, then he wouldn't show the 'typical signs' of being uncomfortable,"

Teddy Bear: "We all feel guilty about that..."

Poison Ivy: "Yeah, I mean… Our parents taught us to enforce our boundaries and respect the boundaries of others, so we assumed that all parents would do that..."

Anything's Possible: "Too true… Even my folks enforce that I respect the boundaries of others, and they're 'care language' is touching others."

Rollersnake: "Oh, that explains a lot."

Anything's Possible: "I'm going to ignore that. But you do understand what I mean, right?"

Rollersnake: "No, I get it. Your parents are touchy-feely but even they have content in mind."

Heartstrings: "I just finished my rounds, and read the recent texts..."

Heartstrings: "And does ma need to do a forced adoption to save Adrien?"

Gothic Girlfriend: "Luka, give us time to stage an 'accident' with Nathalie and Mr Agreste so Ma doesn't get in trouble with the law."

Heartstrings: "Who said that that wasn't implied?"

Gothic Girlfriend: "Nice."

Turntables: "Uh, are you two being serious or is this your sibling banter?"

Poison Ivy: "Yes."

Anything's Possible: "..."

Tiny Actress: "Um... Alya... Are you lurking in the chat?"

Tiny Actress: "I see that your icon has been reading these messages but you haven't texted anything..."

Teddy Bear: "She's either stunned or trying to think up an innocent reason to explain this, no matter how improbable."

LB Artist: " ..."

Turntables: "Alya, I know you see Lila as a good friend, but her 'physical affection' is unwanted and she HAS been told several times by the adults, and me to stop."

Turntable: "And given that I have lost count of how many times I'VE told her to pull back on the 'attention' she showers Adrien with, most of which she sprang on both of us... I'm starting to believe Marinette about her only being 'Physical Affectionate' with Adrien."

Turntables: "Which is adding more suspicions on the 'is she really physically affectionate with her friends if she's only that way with one person?' column. Because, again, Lila isn't that way with any of her other friends."

Ladyblogger: "..."

Ladyblogger: "I want to defend Lila and say she was misreading the signals, but."

Ladyblogger: "But if multiple people told her to stop and she's still doing it..."

Ladyblogger: "One being you and I know you wouldn't lie about something this serious..."

Ladyblogger: "I just..."

Ladyblogger: "Just can't defend that..."

Ladyblogger: "I want to be a good friend, but Lila really needs to learn to respect others boundaries!"

Rollersnake: "And Adrien needs to learn to enforce his boundaries, But given the 'Booboo' thing,"

Anything's Possible: "Let's take things slow with Adrien but act fast with Lila."

Anything's Possible: "Even if she does think everything's okay about the touching, she is ignoring that everyone is telling her it's not okay."

Heartstrings: "Sounds like a plan, but All of you need to keep it up, and subtly."

LB Artist: "And that's another thing to add to the list of things to do in this chat group. But maybe we should make smaller groups and designate tasks so no one gets overwhelmed."

Tiny Actress: "I think that would be a good idea."

Teddy Bear: "Btw, Nino, have you told the teachers about..."

Turntables: "I did."

Turntables: "They took it seriously, and have been taping a close eye on both Adrien and Lila."

}I{

Miss Bustier was looking over a tally list with worry. There were so many marks on the paper, two groups of five tally marks, the number was just...

"What's with the tally marks?" Ms Mendeleiev asked, somehow suddenly appearing behind the redheaded teacher in a confused tone.

Miss Bustier practically jumped out of her skin at the sudden voice. She calmed herself down before she told her co-worker, "Oh, it's the number of times Lila attempted to invade Adrien's personal space..."

Ms Mendeleiev raised a brow when she asked, "Uh, Caline, I know we're taking the 'Issue' with Mr Agreste and Ms Rossi seriously, but even I'm a little worried about you taking this too far if you're counting how many times you're counting those interactions."

Miss Bustier shook her head when she explained, "I'm not the one counting, Nino is… And all these marks are how many times Lila invaded Adrien's personal space this week..."

Ms Mendeleiev blinked when she asked in an unsure tone, "Accidental or on Purpose?"

Miss Bustier let out a sigh when she replied, "Purposeful... With most of them being sprung on Adrien at the last moment..." She let out a frustrated sigh when she added, "I can't believe Lila's been harassing Adrien this whole time! Right under my nose and I didn't notice!"

Ms Mendeleiev folded her arms when she said calmly, "Given the apparent 'teachings' from the Agrestes and Ms Rossi gaslighting the 'if he didn't like it he would say something' skit… It's a match made in hell for sure." She narrowed her eyes when she stated coldly, "Although, given that Ms Rossi has a rather bad habit of telling tales and lying about others, I'm not that surprised by that. But I am a little disgusted by the severity of this particular one." Ms Mendeleiev leaned against her co-worker's desk when she asked, "HOW many times has Mr Lahiffe told Ms Rossi to 'tone down the affection' in regards to Mr Agreste?"

Miss Bustier scowled when she stated, "Just Nino... Ten times." She looked at the science teacher when she added, "I know I've told Lila to 'tone down the affection' multiple times."

Ms Mendeleiev raised a brow in concern when she asked. "Mr Lahiffe kept track of that too?"

Miss Bustier shook her head when she said, "No, he told me that he told Lila every time she tried to latch onto Adrien to 'tone it down'. There are ten tally marks, so logically, he told her ten times. At least."

Ms Mendeleiev pressed her lips in a line when she commented, "That is still a lot in the span of one day... My only innocent conclusion is that Lila doesn't think she is doing anything wrong and is actively ignoring everyone about her 'over affectionateness' with Adrien." She took a breath before she added, "And I'm sure you don't want me to tell you the non-innocent answers to this behaviour."

Miss Bustier couldn't help but agree with the science teacher.

~}I{~

"Markov, what are you doing?" Max asked the AI when he walked back into his room.

Markov looked up when he stated, "Going over the social gathering we've had so far to understand 'social events' better and I noticed a rather… Concerning factor,"

Max walked over to the computer when he asked, "If it's the forced interactions between Marinette and Lila, then it's understandable." He sat at his desk and looked at the data the AI gathered and realised what the factor was. "Oh," the techie got out before he stated, "I didn't think it was that bad, but now that I'm seeing all this at once, I can see why it would be concerning."

Markov nodded when he stated, "Affirmative." The AI pulled up the corresponding data when he explained, "Adrien has had to cancel his plans to attend our social outings a lot more often. By approximately 97.344%."

Max looked over the data when he mused, "And you've organised the excuses that he's given as to why. Understandable." He was looking at a detailed pie chart of that data in question. Unsurprisingly, the pie piece for 'Last minute photo shoot' was nearly the entire chart, with the smaller sections neatly broken up into parts.

The pie chart read as such:

Last Minute Photoshoot Despite Promises of Time Off: 80%

Mr Agreste Pulling Adrien's Schedule over on Him Despite the Promises: 10%

Akuma: 6%

Change of plans for the outing: 2%

Cancelled Plans: 1%

Others: 1%

Max couldn't help but cringe at what he was looking at when he stated, "90% of Adrien's cancellations are because Mr Agreste is going back on his promises to him." He tapped his chin when he asked the AI, "What's the timeline of all these cancellations?"

Markov pulled up a time graph when he stated, "They were more scattered at the beginning of the year and stayed that way for a few months." The time graph showed exactly what the AI was saying.

The graph was basic. The months listed under the horizon line and the numbers 0 through 5 were on the vertical like. It was a clear picture that things weren't so bad and had a reasonable number.

Max let out a hum before he asked, "And when did the uptake of the 'cancelled plans' Start?"

Markov moved the time graph forward, as he did, the numbers on the vertical line jumped from a top number of 5 to 20, with the dots on the graphs hitting the roof of the grid more often. The only things added to the horizontal line were the months in chronological order. Markov then stated, "According to the data, three months ago."

The time graph showed just that.

Max narrowed his eyes at the data when he asked, "Any information as to why Mr Agreste needs to have Adrien on almost every photo shoot or last-minute photo shoot recently?"

Markov shook his helm when he stated, "Negative. I only have the perspective of our friends and Adrien was never told why other than 'This is what your Father wants' by Ms Nathalie." The AI raised a virtual brow when he admitted, "I fail to understand the logic to this 'Business Strategy' when The Gabriel Brand has several other models with the experience to do the jobs and wouldn't mind working a few extra photo shoots. In fact, according to the recent Gabriel Brand magazines, Adrien's modelling gigs jumped from 45% to nearly 91% and has monopolised the male clothing line for the brand..." The AI pulled open a few tabs from a few social media posts when he added, "From what I've gathered from the personal opinions of the other Gabriel Brand staff, they're questioning their boss's fixation of having Adrien modelling so often with Lila and how often he is being forced to model in general."

Max agreed with the statement of the AI. He then paused before thinking over the words and asked, "Wait? How often does Lila model with Adrien?"

Markov was prepared for the question when he stated, "Humorous that you should mention that." He then pulled up a collage of magazine pictures of Lila and Adrien modelling together, in chronological order. Markov then stated, "I cannot find any images of Lila modelling with anyone other than Adrien, despite her claiming to have had several photo shoots with other well-known models. Not just for the Gabriel Brand."

Max was a little creeped out by the visual timeline of physical escalation Lila was showing in these photographs when he commented, "Well... Considering Lila's habit of lying, I'd say we should be highly sceptical of anything she claims to have happened..." He points to the college when he asked, "Are these in chronological order?"

"Affirmative, why?" Markov stated as a response.

Max told the AI to put the photos in a video in chronological order and then play it. Markov did just that, and that's how he realised the trend of escalation that was being shown in the photographs.

"Oh," Markov vocalised when the improv video ended, before he added, "This explains all the unfavourable comments and theories involving Lila I have found on the fashion forums... Most of these are from the Gabriel Brand employees."

Max couldn't help but ask, "Rhetorically speaking, have any of the Gabriel Employees reported Lila of misconduct? Maybe sexual assault if anyone is reading those in that way? Which I would not blame them for in all honesty."

Markov had to reply, "I didn't have access to that information, but I have read on the forums with confirmed Gabriel Brand Employees have commented that Lila has been reported several times for her misconducts and "handiness with Adrien", and all have commented that nothing has been done about her behaviour by the boss..."

Max had an unnerved expression when he stated, "That is rather concerning from both a parenting perspective and a business perspective." He placed a hand on his chin when he thought over the data he currently had.

Adrien was being forced to model too much, despite being a legal minor. Which might be more of a major issue with France's Labor Laws than one's social health. Adrien was being forced to model with a person who has been constantly invading his personal space, both at work and a school. Which is a major issue for both the company and the school, with only one of those taking the issue seriously. Said person is apparently unliked at the company and has been causing some worrying issues, of which seem to be ignored by the one in charge. This is a very major issue as he is also the parent to the model being assaulted...

Was something going on with Mr Agreste to make him so… Ignorant to his son's and company's plight? or something along that line in some way?

An idea slowly formed in the techie's brain, one that would solve the majority of the issues at the Gabriel Brand and give Adrien some personal freedom to hang with his friends and for himself.

A sinister smile formed on Max's lips as he rubbed his hands together when he asked the AI, "Markov, would you like to help me test the cyber security of the Gabriel Brand's systems?"

Markov was concerned when he asked, "Isn't that illegal?"

Max moved to another computer monitor to check the 'Akuma Butterfly Search Radius' program's progress, which they had nicknamed 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'. He then stated as he looked over the program, "Only if we plan to do some serious harm to whoever is being hacked." He moved to a free computer monitor when he added, "All we're going to be doing is adjusting a friend's overly strict schedule to allow him some free time." Max started typing on the keyboard to do just that when he stated with a smirk, "That isn't illegal."

Markov processes that for a bit, calculating the pros, cons, and legality of this. After making a conclusion, the AI stated, "Well, I would like to interact with Adrien outside school and he does deserve some time to himself. Also… Could we make it so that Lila isn't always modelling with Adrien? I have no concrete proof, but I theorise that she has been trying to monopolise as much of Adrien's time as possible."

Max clicked his tongue when he stated he got into the Gabriel Brand's Employee Portal, "I agree with you on that, Markov, but I'll have to do that particular part gradually. So it'll feel more natural."

The AI had to agree on that, but knew it would be worth it.

Now here was the tricky part of this task... Logging into Gabriel Agreste's account without triggering any warning flags.

Max carefully clicked on the 'Password Hint' hyperlink to see if he could figure out the guy's password.

The hint tab popped up with the password bar with the line 'My better half. 13 letters, CAP."

Both Max and Markov glanced at each other when they both stated at the same time, "It couldn't be THAT easy..." But Max typed in the name anyway, only to eliminate that possibility.

E, M, I, L, I, E, A, G, R, E, S, T, E and enter.

The password was accepted.

Max and Markov stared at Gabriel Agreste's Administrative account in utter shock when it sank in that they now had access to the Entire Gabriel Brand Portal System.

The AI couldn't help but state, "That is a serious cybernetic security issue, especially for the CEO and owner of a major company."

"Agreed..." Max replied wearily as he went to the 'Models schedule' section of the Admin's portal. The techie did add, "I know I should be thankful that it is this easy, but that isn't the best password and the hint is a dead giveaway if you know who Emilie Agreste is." He was already adjusting Adrien's over-timed schedule so that it wasn't. Free up a total of three hours for Adrien to do with as he pleases for that week. Not a lot, but that was the best that could be done without anyone noticing the hours shaved off of the times from the photo shoots.

Once Max was satisfied with the timeframe of the upcoming week, he then checked to see who Adrien would be working with on the photo shoots of these days. The techie had a mixture of concern, uneasiness, and suspicion when he read the names of the other models Adrien would be working with next week... Or rather, model... Lila Rossi...

Max kept his eyes on the screen when he told the AI, "Uhh... Markov... I know I said I would do this gradually, but..." He shook his head when he added, "This is just... I don't know where to start! If it weren't for the fact that I saw that there were easily a hundred names in the Model section, it could've easily been mistaken as a start-up fashion company! Plus she's just came back from Paris!"

Markov scanned the schedule when he commented, "This makes no logical business sense. Especially for a fashion mogul of a huge company that has a variety of models to use..."

Max took a deep breath before he tried a different approach. He was going to edit Lila's modelling schedule too. Which is how he came across something rather odd…

"Huh?" Both Max and Markov vocalised as they stared at Lila's current week schedule… The week that she had supposedly been out of Paris for. Yet the schedule matched Adrien's current week schedule for some reason…

Max checked the attendance sections of all the days, and all of them had green check marks on them. Confirming that Lila was at these photo shoots despite "not being in the city"…

The techie leaned back in his chair as he folded his arms as he processed this… New data...

According to this... Lila never left Paris, And has been modelling as 'normal' for the Gabriel Brand... With Adrien... Who knew that Lila wasn't travelling...

Oh, how Max wanted to call Adrien up and demanded to know why he never told the teachers about Lila not actually travelling with her mother despite knowing that that was what she was claiming, but then he would have to explain 'how' he would know that fact, and there was no way to get around that without creating some weird and flimsy excuse that wouldn't be believed...

Markov was going through the same thought process when he asked, "Uh... Max... Is there some logical reason why Adrien did not find it important to inform Miss Bustier about him modelling with Lila during the timeframe she told the school that she was travelling with her mother outside Paris?"

Max took a deep breath before he replied, "I honestly don't know... While I do believe Adrien's homeschooling and having an over controlling parent is a factor in his thought process, I don't understand why he wouldn't think it was strange..." He rubbed his temples when he added, "And I can't ask him about it without explaining how I would know Lila's modelling schedule..."

Markov had to agree with that before he suggested, "Well... Since we have access to Adrien and Lila's modelling schedule, maybe we can still… Make them work less often together?"

Max knew the AI was right, that was their original goal. So he went to work editing his classmates' modelling schedules. Not drastically, so not to raise any alarm bells.

But given how long some of these photo shoots were, even after editing, Max decided to have one day where Adrien and Lila wouldn't model together. It was the best he could do for now without causing some suspicious issue. Same with the modelling week afterwards. The new plan is not only to slowly move Lila away from Adrien in the Gabriel Brand, but also start to give the other models some needed hours to balance out the workload.

Seriously, Adrien might've been the face of the Gabriel Brand but he wasn't the ONLY male model they had. Plus, Adrien was still a teenager and didn't need the workload of two or three adults, on top of all the 'extracurricular activities' Mr Agreste makes him do.

That last part made Max wonder how Adrien could still be the sweet, nice, sociable, and caring person he is despite being so overworked and over scheduled. If anything, the blonde boy should be exhausted, cranky, sour, pessimistic, and lethargic. Markov suggested they should send an anonymous message to the CPS to look into the Agrestes about pushing Adrien too far while still a child. Yeah, they were going to do that.

Max made sure he saved these changes before he erased the account history for his usage and logged out of the portal with a sigh. He looked to the AI when he stated, "Well... Hopefully, this should help Adrien have some time for himself. But..."

Markov nodded when he said, "I agree, but we do need to inform the school of Lila's truancy, without slipping about this little hacking escapade."

Max was still unsure about this when he stated, "But how can we counter the paperwork that Mrs Rossi has sent in, confirming that Lila's absences are because of her work? Even if they have been fabricated, how do we prove it?"

Markov knew those were valid questions.

While they knew that Lila hadn't travelled this past week, they couldn't legally prove it nor could they explain how they knew. And that was just for this week. They had no solid proof that Lila was just bunking off school during the previous times she had claimed to have been travelling with her mum.

Right now... All the two could do was take a little weight off their friend so he could breathe a little easier. And get on that anonymous message to the CPS while there was still time to get it in.

~}I{~

Neither Adrien nor Marinette knew what to say to one another as they just sat on the roof of Notre Dame.

Tikki and Plagg knew they wanted to help, but… Okay, yes, they expected this reaction from their Holders, but they didn't think it would be that bad!

Adrien glanced at the other when he finally asked cautiously, "Sooo… Who was the guy you had a crush on?"

Plagg couldn't help but vocalise, "Really? That's the first thing you ask her after finding out who she is?"

Adrien just shrugged in response when he said, "It's the only one I can think of right now…" The Kwami gave him a flat look.

Marinette glanced to the side when she admitted, "Uhh, actually… Can we… Save that for last… I… I kind of do have some things I want to talk to you about… As your superhero partner… And your friend…"

Adrien was listening.

~}I{~

To be continued.

~}I{~

1… These two images on the shirts are fun little puns that I created and that there aren't any shirts that I'm aware of that have these images. If there are, then it's a total coincidence.

2… I remember that Marinette and her parents spoke one particular dialect of Chinese, but I couldn't remember which one and I found different answers from different sources, so I'm going with the most spoken Chinese Dialect, Mandarin. If someone DOES know which dialect, PLEASE let me know! (For future fics).

~}I{~