(Time Skip)

After arriving back home, Chat Noir turned back into Adrien and finished his remaining homework before heading to bed for a good night's rest. Thankfully, Hawkmoth had decided that one akuma was enough for the day and didn't do a surprise late-night attack like most days, letting Adrien get a full 10 hours instead of a mere 10 minutes before his usual alarm went off.

However, Adrien was buzzing with so much nervous energy that morning, he was up well before his alarm went off, came up with a plan to dose Mr Damocles with the potion and was ready for the day when it finally did. This allowed Adrien enough time to convince 'Gorilla' to stop by the coffee shop he and Kagami had gone to the previous day to pick up a to-go coffee for his plan to work. From there, he arrived at his school and started making his way to Mr Damocles's office, setting up his hopefully foolproof plan.

"You know, kid, I always wanted you to ignore authority. But now that you are doing this... I'm not sure that would be a good idea." Plagg spoke up as he poked his head out from Adrien's overshirt, watching as the model added the required amount of potion drops into the cup of coffee.

"Oh, relax, Plagg. This is only a one-time thing to help a friend out. I'm not descending into a life of crime." Adrien dismissively replied as he added the last drop, then corked the bottle and put it into his bag again.

"It's a slippery slope, Adrien." Plagg snidely chuckled, only for his face to darken seconds later. "But seriously, Adrien, you heard what Styx said. This potion is morally dubious to use on someone." the black cat kwami remarked, worried that Adrien wasn't being careful enough.

"I was there, Plagg. I'm fully aware. But there are not many options for me to take, and Mr Damocles won't change his mind unless I do this." Adrien assured his kwami, placing the cap back onto the coffee cup before starting to walk towards the principal's office. "No offense to him, but he is a bit of a doormat when it comes to the rich elite."

"No kidding. He's totally spineless!" Plagg agreed. "On the other hand, do you really think this coffee idea of yours is going to work?" the cheese gremlin questioned his holder, still having doubts about the boy's plan.

"Plagg, Mr Damocles is the principal of a school full of teenagers in a city regularly under threat by a magical terrorist. I'd say he'll jump at the offer of a morning pick-me-up." Adrien remarked, looking down at his kwami with a deadpan stare.

"Point taken." Plagg conceded with a nod, seconds before seeing Mr Damocles heading towards his office. "There he is! If you're going to do this, you better do it now." he advised, pointing at the man in question to get Adrien to see the head of the school too.

"Thanks, buddy." Adrien softly thanked his little friend before Plagg hid in his overshirt again, followed by him rushing up to Mr Damocles while keeping the cup contents from spilling. "Good morning, Mr Damocles!" Adrien called out as he reached Mr Damocles, a bright smile plastered on his face even as his stomach twisted with anticipation when the owlish man turned and looked at him.

"Ah, good morning, Adrien." Mr Damocles greeted the boy midway through opening his office door. "What brings you to school so early? The bell doesn't start for another 30 minutes." the school principal said with a furrowed brow, unsure of why Adrien was cutting his timely attendance so close.

"I just wanted to stop by and give you this." Adrien replied as he extended a disposable coffee cup toward the principal, the steam curling up like his ambitions. "A token of my appreciation for how much you do for us and the school."

Mr. Damocles glanced at the cup, his expression softening, but then he turned slightly to reveal his own steaming mug. "Oh... I appreciate the thought, my boy, but... I've already made my own in the teacher's lounge."

"Ah, I see..." Adrien said, a hint of deflation in his voice as he felt his heart sink before quickly masking his disappointment.

"I'm sorry, Adrien. While I'm sure yours would be nice, I'm also trying to lay off the caffeine." Mr Damocles added, his tone apologetic.

"I totally get it. It's not a problem. Perhaps one of my friends will take it instead." Adrien smiled, all while his mind raced to think of a new plan.

"I'm glad to hear it." Mr Damocles replied with a smile.

As Mr. Damocles turned to enter his office, Plagg once again poked his head out from Adrien's overshirt. "Your plan failed, kid. Now what?"

"Only a temporary setback, Plagg. I can still do my plan." Adrien replied with a smirk, his determination flickering back to life as he pulled out the vial of potion from his bag, its liquid shimmering enticingly. "Just not with the cup of coffee I had planned to use."

"And how are you going to slip that into his mug before he drinks it? He might be a doormat, but he isn't stupid enough not to notice you roofying him." Plagg exclaimed, crossing his tiny arms defiantly.

"Oh, I'm not going to add it to his coffee..."Adrien paused, locking eyes with Plagg with a mischievous smirk. "You are."

"Oh, hell no! There is no way I'm going to be a part of this cockamamie plan of yours! I might be the Kwami of Destruction, plus somewhat reckless and mischievous, but I won't help you with this!" Plagg retorted, pouting with all the indignation a tiny kwami could muster.

"I'll let you eat all the cheese in the bottomless pouch." Adrien offered with a grin creeping onto his face.

At the sound of his holder's promise, Plagg's eyes snapped open and widened in disbelief. " 'All of it', all of it?"

"All of it, all of it, buddy." Adrien assured, knowing he had his kwami hook, line and sinker.

"DEAL!!" Plagg exclaimed before zooming forward, snatching the vial with a grin. "Corporal Plagg, at your service!" the black cat kwami declared with a salute.

"Thanks, Plagg." Adrien praised with a smile, quickly turning to look back at the office door. "Okay, here's the new plan. I'll distract Mr Damocles and keep his attention on me. Meanwhile, you'll put the four drops into his mug."

"And how do you plan to keep him distracted?" Plagg asked, raising a curious eyebrow at the boy.

"By using his Achilles' Heel. Now hide!" Adrien commanded, prompting Plagg to duck out of sight again just as Adrien opened the office door. "Hi again, Mr Damocles!" the blond-haired model greeted the head of school.

"Uh... hello again, Adrien." Mr Damocles replied as he looked up to see the boy in his office, his brow furrowing further in confusion when seeing his presence. "Is there... something you need?" he asked, unable to think of any possible reason why Adrien was sticking around so close to class time.

"Yes, actually." Adrien said as he stepped into the office, closing the door behind him with a soft click. "I was wondering if you could tell me what it's like being The Owl?" the green-eyed boy questioned as he sat down in one of the chairs in front of Mr Damocles's desk, placing his bag next to his chair and the coffee cup he had on the desk.

Mr Damocles's face lit up, confusion giving way to excitement. "You... want to learn about my work as The Owl?"

"Yes. Seeing as you are a hero of the community, I was hoping to learn from such a good example to do the same." Adrien explained as he leaned in closer to the school principal, his tone earnest. "Would it be okay if I picked your brain on the matter?"

"It would be my pleasure!" Mr. Damocles smiled, setting his coffee mug down."What is it you want to know first?"

"How about your gadgets? I heard they're amazing!" Adrien asked, feigning casual interest.

"Oh! Excellent choice!" Mr Damocles exclaimed, quickly opening up his computer. "Albert!" he called out, prompting his custom-made program to spring to life on the screen.

"At your service, sir!" Albert, the digital assistant, replied.

"Hoo-hoo!" Mr Damocles chanted, triggering the painting next to his desk to open up and show off Mr Damocles's hero stuff behind it.

"Wow..." Adrien breathed, eyes wide with surprise when he saw his principal's setup in his office.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Mr. Damocles asked, his pride evident.

"Yeah... it is." Adrien nodded, a little more intrigued by the hidden panel Damocles had than he thought he would be. "So, what's your favorite gadget?" the moonlighting cat hero inquired, shaking off his shock to continue with his plan.

"Oh, I'd say that would have to be my grappling hook!" Mr Damocles announced as he stood up from his desk, walking over to his gadget wall to get the item above.

Meanwhile, Plagg peeked out from Adrien's overshirt and looked up at him; his holder then glanced over at the kwami to give him a nod. With the silent signal, Plagg held the potion vial close as he darted toward the mug just as Mr Damocles reached for the grappling hook, hiding behind it to avoid being spotted by the school head. Thankfully, Plagg made it just in time before Damocles turned back to Adrien, leaving the boy to keep Damocles distracted as long as possible while Plagg laced the man's coffee with the potion.

"Little known fact, I made my costume and every gadget you see on my wall. So only I know all of the tricks to my equipment!" Mr Damocles lightly bragged as he aimed his gadget over at the other end of the room, showing it off.

"Would you like to see it in action?" he asked, smiling mischievously at the boy sitting in front of his desk.

"Absolutely!" Adrien replied, keeping himself from sounding too invested and giving his discomfort away.

Don't get Adrien wrong, he was proud of his principal for being a hero of the community. But after becoming a real-life superhero and finding out magic, Trolls, and God knows what else is real, Adrien now felt a little weird about seeing others 'playing superheroes'. To a certain degree, it was flattering, but after a while, it grew uncomfortable... especially when it was a grown man doing it.

However, Adrien grinned and bore it as he watched Mr Damocles press a few buttons on his grappling hook, and the gun fired, the grappling part shooting right at the wall. Thankfully, the act was doing well, allowing Plagg to poke out from behind the coffee cup and add the potion drops into the liquid.

"Wow! That's really cool!" Adrien praised, watching Mr Damocles retract the gun before glancing over at Plagg just as he had gotten three drops into the mug.

"Thank you, my boy! It's nice to have someone so interested in my work." Mr Damocles thanked the boy, turning to face Adrien and unfortunately put the fourth and final drop on hold as Plagg zipped back into hiding.

"It's my pleasure!" Adrien cheered, a tense smile appearing on his face due to his silent frustration at how close his plan was to being completed. "Uh... do you think you can show me another one of your gadgets?" the green-eyed boy pressed, a slight edge of urgency in his voice to help his kwami out.

"I thought you'd never ask!" Mr Damocles replied, his enthusiasm palpable as he turned to the wall again to grab his next gadget.

In the meantime, Plagg took the opportunity to once again poke out from behind the coffee mug and finally add the last drop into the mug. Smiling at a well-done job, Adrien watched as Plagg corked the vial and zoomed back into hiding, entering his overshirt's inner pocket before the school head's demonstration continued.

Said demonstration was Mr Damocles showing off his Owl-rangs, which nearly broke a few things before he secured them away. But Adrien listened attentively, his heart racing as he prepared to steer the conversation in the right direction now that the hard part was over. Now all that was left was the convincing part... as soon as Mr Damocles took his first sip of the tampered coffee.

"I have to say, that was very impressive, sir. I can see why the people of the community love your work." Adrien said while the school principal put away his gadgets, feeling the moment inch closer to his goal as the portrait panel closed back up.

"Thank you, my boy. And I have to say, it's nice to have someone interested in my work."Mr. Damocles said as he walked back to his desk, settling back into his chair and grabbing his cup. "Both in the school and as my alter ego."

"Well, you make it easy, sir." Adrien replied, his heart pounding while figuratively holding his breath in wait.

"That's very kind of you to say, Adrien." Mr Damocles said with a smile as he raised the cup to his lips, finally taking a sip of the liquid inside. Adrien then silently counted the seconds, tension coiling tightly in his chest.

'Here we go,' he thought, watching intently as Mr Damocles pulled the mug away, a slight frown creasing his forehead.

"Oh my! I'm a little dizzy all of a sudden." Mr Damocles moaned, confusion flickering in his eyes as he placed a grounding hand on his forehead.

"Perhaps it was the demonstration earlier? Too much activity in one go?" Adrien suggested, keeping his tone casual despite the sly smile growing across his face when doing the little test of the potion effects.

"Yes... Perhaps it was. Might need to exercise more often to avoid that happening again." Mr Damocles nodded while placing the mug down, his voice a touch hazy as he considered the possibility.

"Sounds like a good idea." Adrien agreed, feeling the momentum building now that he had confirmation. 'Okay, looks like it's time to strike.' the model remarked internally, now ready to enact the rest of his plan.

"Say, um... while I'm here, there's something else I wanted to talk to you about." Adrien began, deciding that cutting straight to the point would be the best way to get this done.

"What is it?" Mr Damocles asked, leaning forward with interest.

"Well... I have a friend who has been wanting to join our school recently. But her mother has made it impossible to do so." Adrien elaborated, only to find himself gauging the principal's reaction as Damocles processed the information.

"Ah, I see. And this friend wouldn't happen to be Ms Kagami Tsurugi, would it?" Mr. Damocles asked, a knowing look in his eye. Adrien winced slightly at the accurate guess.

"...Yes, she is." He replied, scrunching in on himself a little in partial embarrassment.

But despite his motivations being so quickly discovered, he recovered and leaned in close to the principal, feeling the weight of his words. "Look, I know Mrs Tsurugi has already told you not to accept her daughter's papers, but I know Kagami would be a great addition to our school."

"She's amazing at fencing and very talented in art, from what she's shown me. She's also received a similar homeschooling education to mine, so her grades will more than likely bring Francois Dupont even more prestige." Adrien rambled, hope igniting within him the more he hyped up Kagami's positive attributes.

"While I'm sure that would be the case, I'm not sure if I should risk angering Madam Tsurugi by defying her orders." Mr Damocles said, his tone hesitant as he thought more about such an important person being angry with him.

"I understand. But think about this... You already have quite a few students who are from rich families, including me and Chloé. The Daughter of the Mayor of Paris and the son of the famous Gabriel Agreste. I imagine that this school has gotten quite a bit of respect because of our attendance. So imagine how much more respect you'd get by having the daughter and granddaughter of world champion fencers and the heir to a global tech empire studying here as well?" Adrien pressed, having been around enough high-ranking people and social climbers to know how to gently push them in his desired direction of thinking.

Mr. Damocles looked pensive, his resolve beginning to waver thanks to the points Adrien brought up. "Hmm... It would be rather beneficial." he mused, the effects of the potion coursing through him, while Adrien perked up at the consideration.

"But there is the problem of getting her transfer papers to enrol her, as well as finding a class with an opening for her." Mr Damocles stated, prompting a greatly pleased Adrien to grab his bag and zip it open to grab the folder Kagami had given him the previous day.

"I have Kagami's papers here, actually." Adrien announced, handing the folder to the principal with a smile. "And she expressed an interest in joining my homeroom class. Per recollection, I believe there might be a spot left for her?" the blond-haired model asked, watching Damocles look over the papers too quickly to go through them.

"Let me check." Mr Damocles said, putting down the folder to open up his computer to check Adrien's theory. "Yes, it appears there is. Two spots in fact." the school head announced after a few minutes, impressed with how accurate Adrien's guess had been.

"Then... you'll be enrolling her?" Adrien pressed, adrenaline coursing through him at the thought of his plan being so close to fruition.

"I would like to... but her mother..." Mr Damocles hesitated, his voice trailing off when thinking about how devastating the fury of such a powerful woman could be to him or the school if he wasn't careful.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about that. I have it on good authority that she won't do anything after this is taken care of." Adrien assured him, his hopes swelling within his chest at how close he was to his goal.

"In that case, I'll get her enrolled as soon as possible." Mr Damocles finally agreed, a smile breaking across Adrien's face at the good news.

"Terrific!! Thank you so much! Kagami's going to be thrilled!" Adrien exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement as he grabbed his things.

"I'm sure she will be." Mr Damocles replied with an amused guff, happy to see Adrien so happy about something. "Now you'd better get going to class. The bell will be ringing soon." the owlish man reminded the model, his voice filled with warmth as he watched Adrien zip his bag closed.

"Right, of course. Thank you, sir!" Adrien called as he stepped back, relief washing over him as he turned to leave the office before glancing back at Mr Damocles once again. "It was a pleasure talking to you, Mr Damocles. I'm really glad you're our principal." the green-eyed boy said, now feeling a little guilty of using a potion on his school principal rather than just trusting his ability to do so without it.

"Thank you, Adrien. That means a lot to hear you say that." Mr Damocles thanked with a grateful smile, prompting Adrien to nod and finally exit the office after closing the door behind him.

"We did it." Adrien sighed in relief once the door was closed, smiling as he placed his forehead on the wooden door to ground himself in the moment.

As Adrien calmed his racing heart, Plagg poked his head out from the boy's overshirt, awe evident on his tiny face. "I can't believe that worked! And here I thought Ladybug was the only one to be so lucky to have her plans work!"

"Oh ye of little faith, Plagg." Adrien chuckled as he took the vial back from his kwami, putting it back into his bag and stepping back from the office. "If that's how you're going to be, then maybe you don't want your payment." the moonlighting cat hero teased, immediately causing Plagg to snap his gaze right at his holder.

"Now, hold on! I never said that! I still want my cheese!" Plagg cried as he zoomed forward, eyes gleaming with excitement and dread at the light threat Adrien had made.

"Okay, okay." Adrien relented in amusement, getting his bottomless pouch out from his bag and opening it up to show Plagg its contents. "Have at it, buddy!" the green-eyed boy declared with a grin, watching Plagg as he gasped in delight and dove into the pouch, laughter bubbling up inside him while the kwami began his feast.

Adrien smiles at the joy his kwami is experiencing, glad that his little friend is enjoying himself. But before he could fully indulge in the victory and close the pouch to leave Plagg to continue his feast in private, the black cat kwami poked his head out of the pouch, his mouth full of cheese.

"By the way... what are you going to do with that coffee you got?" Plagg questioned Adrien, pointing out the remaining loose end in Adrien's original plan.

Just when Adrien was about to answer, however, the school bell suddenly rang and echoed through the halls like a reminder of the day ahead.

"I'll worry about that later. Class is starting!" Adrien exclaimed before closing the pouch and putting it back into his bag before racing down the corridor, a sense of triumph and anticipation swirling within him as he went. On the other hand, his excitement and celebration of a job well done might prove he had yet to be prepared for whatever the day might bring next.

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After running down the halls like a cheetah, an out-of-breath Adrien pushed open the heavy door to his classroom with a thud, the familiar scent of chalk and old books wrapping around him like a cozy blanket. Thankfully for Adrien, his running to class left him with time to spare before the rest of his classmates came in, letting him catch his breath and relax for a moment before heading to his seat. Once he slipped into his usual seat, Adrien looked around and saw that no one else seemed to have come into the bright, sunlit classroom yet. But just as he set his bag next to the smooth wooden chair beneath him, Nino sauntered into the room, a wide grin on his face when spotting his best buddy.

"Wasup, my dude!" Nino greeted Adrien as he plopped down next to him, his backpack thumping against the floor next to his side of their shared bench.

"Hey, Nino." Adrien replied with a smile before scanning the room, noticing the absence of their friends. "Where're the girls? I know Marinette's usually late, but when she isn't, they're both here by now."

When asked about their gal pals, Nino leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms with a playful smirk. "Well, Marinette is here on time, for one, so no need to worry about that. But the girls will be here soon. Alya needed a little help with a technical glitch on her blog, so she and Marinette went to track down Max to help out."

"Ah, got you." Adrien nodded, still feeling a bit restless after his questionable actions mere minutes ago... and also remembering the leftover coffee on the table in front of him.

"Yeah, but what about you, dude? I saw you were almost late there. I was about to think your old man kept you with another photoshoot." Nino said, voicing his worry about Adrien's absence that morning.

"Thankfully, no. He decided that the big photo shoot this weekend would be enough for the next two weeks." Adrien replied, trying to play it cool while discreetly moving the contaminated coffee away from the desk before Nino saw it and asked about it.

"Thank goodness for small miracles." Nino chuckled, lightly jabbing Adrien in the arm and bringing a smile to the blonde's face. But the nice moment was put on hold when "But if that's the case, why the coffee?" the DJ suddenly asked, curiously tilting his head with a raised eyebrow.

'Dang it!' Adrien wailed internally, wincing at Nino noticing the contaminated cup of coffee before turning to face his best friend. "Oh, um.... Honestly, this was meant for something else. I had been planning on throwing it away before the bell rang for class." the blonde-haired model hesitated, his fingers tapping nervously on the desk alongside his nervous smile.

"But that would be a waste of perfectly good coffee!" Nino exclaimed incredulously, his eyes starting to sparkle with mischief. "What about I take it off your hands for you? I might not be much of a coffee fan, but I don't mind a cup every once in a while." the bespeckled boy stated, reaching for the cup with a grin.

"Yeeeeeeah, I don't think that's a good idea." Adrien replied as he quickly grabbed the cup and placed it on top of Marinette's desk behind him, his heart racing at the thought of Nino drinking it. "You don't need the side effects of what's in that. Trust me."

"Adrien, I can handle a little caffeine." Nino insisted, leaning forward with determination etched on his face and dead set on convincing Adrien to change his mind.

"Not like this. Trust me on that." Adrien replied, an urgent tone in his voice as he tried to get Nino to abandon his little quest for caffeine.

"I'm sure it'll be fine!" Nino lunged for the cup again, but Adrien smacked his hand away just in time.

"No, it won't!" Adrien yelped, his heart pounding as he moved his body to block the cup from Nino's grasp.

"Will too." Nino challenged, still reaching for the cup with a cheeky grin.

"Will not!" Adrien countered, grabbing Nino's hand before his fingers could even brush against the compostable cup.

"Will too!" Nino exclaimed in protest, his other hand shooting out for the cup.

"Will not!" Adrien insisted, once again stopping his best friend from getting the cup and leading the two of them to start roughhousing.

Thankfully, the boys' roughhousing was limited to the space provided by their shared desk bench, so they didn't have to worry about one or the other falling to the floor... if they were careful. But as they became lost in their friendly fight, they were completely unaware of Alya entering the room with an exhausted Marinette leaning heavily against her shoulder as she walked beside her. As soon as the girls entered the room, the sight of the boys mucking around made Alya stop short, her eyes wide in surprise.

"Um... that's new." Alya remarked with an intrigued pout before glancing down at Marinette, who had been rudely shaken out of her quick nap and slowly opened her eyes to see what the fuss was about.

"Eh, I've seen Jim and Toby do worse when we were younger. They'll be fine." Marinette yawned as she finally pulled herself upright, making her way to her desk while earning an amused eye roll from Alya.

"Right... I forgot that you've been desensitised to boyish antics." Alya said as she moved to join Marinette, the two girls settling into their neighbouring chairs and clearing a space on their joint desk for their books. "But it's strange to see Adrien joining in on stuff like that. He's usually more composed than that."

"Eh, he's allowed to do what he wants. Seeing as he's been cooped up in his house for so long and all." Marinette yawned again, propping her head up on her palm while her eyes drooped to almost close.

"Eh, fair enough." Alya conceded with a shrug just before Nino managed to trap Adrien in a headlock and noogie him. "But are you okay, gurl? You looked half dead, right now." the reporter pointed out, both girls ignoring Adrien squirming within Nino's hold and breaking away.

"I might have stayed up late last night to finish Toby's Geode Hat." Marinette bashfully admitted, opening her eyes as she turned to give Alya a nervous smile. "It was worth it, though! Now I can mail it to Toby after school so that he can get it in time for Heroes Day!" the designer declared, proud of herself for her accomplishment.

"Whatever you say, Marinette." Alya sighed in relent, not looking to argue with Marinette about her bad habits so early in the day. "Still, you'd better find a way to stay awake today. We've got that test coming up, and I'm not taking notes for you when I have my own to worry about." the bespeckled girl reminded her bestie, the sounds of the boys' roughhousing becoming background noise as she grabbed her notebook and pens.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Marinette groaned as she waved her free hand around dismissively, only to suddenly feel the coffee cup on her side of the joint desk and wake herself up a little more to see what she had nearly knocked over. "Huh? What's this?" the pigtailed girl wondered, her curiosity piqued as she lifted it to her and Alya's eye level to scrutinise it.

"Oooh! Looks like someone was nice enough to give you a pick-me-up!" Alya cooed, leaning closer to the mysterious cup in intrigue.

"Wonder who." Marinette chirped before beginning to inspect the cup, only to frown when she didn't see a name anywhere on it. "Weird. No name." the red-tipped-haired girl said, glancing at her best friend with a perplexed shrug of her shoulders while the boys continued their roughhousing.

But while the girls were discussing the coffee cup in Marinette's hand, Adrien finally got Nino into a behind-the-back armlock, making him yelp in pain as he put the squeeze on him.

"OKAY!! UNCLE!! UNCLE!!" Nino cried, making Adrien smile in triumph before letting his best bud go and cheering in victory.

"Normally, I would be skeptical of an unnamed drink, but I think you need it, girl." Alya remarked, her gaze landing on the still half-asleep-looking Marinette.

"You got that right. Plus, coffee's coffee." Marinette agreed, her words causing Adrien's eyes to widen seconds before turning to the girls. As soon as he did, the green-eyed boy was quickly horrified to see Marinette raising the cup of coffee he had laced with the persuasion potion to her lips.

"WAIT, DON'T—" Adrien shouted in protest, his hand reaching out to stop Marinette from drinking the liquid. Unfortunately, Marinette was still too sleepy to hear him and drank from the cup, soon humming in satisfaction as she pulled it away after the first warm sip.

"Mmm, that's good coffee." Marinette sighed in delight, her expression shifting to pleased, while Adrien felt a wave of panic wash over him and quickly got up from his chair and pulled Marinette out of hers.

"Are you okay!? Do you feel any different? Any dizziness?" Adrien rambled in worry, gripping Marinette's arms with concern etched on his face as he looked her over for signs of the potion taking effect. However, Adrien's concern blinded him to Nino and Alya exchanging bewildered glances with each other, as well as Marinette's wide-eyed speechlessness at the sudden actions.

"Uh... dude?" Nino spoke up, raising an eyebrow at Adrien as he turned his gaze over to him. "What are you doing?" the bespeckled boy questioned his friend.

"Also... could you please let my girl go before she self-combusts?" Alya added while pointing to Marinette, whose cheeks had turned a bright shade of red amid her wide-eyed bewilderment at Adrien's sudden closeness.

Upon seeing Marinette's reaction, Adrien released her, stepping back as she shook her head to get out of her surprised daze. "Oh, dang it! I'm so sorry, Marinette! I shouldn't have grabbed you like that."

"I-I-I-It's fene... I MEAN FINE!" Marinette hurriedly assured her crush in a stammer, followed by her surprise melting into confusion now that she didn't have Adrien's touch to distract her. "Um... was that coffee yours?" the designer asked as she pointed to the coffee cup on her desk, making Adrien bashfully smile at the question.

"Not exactly. It was meant to be a gift." Adrien said bashfully, only to see Marinette's eyes widen in mortification at the thought of depriving someone of a gift meant for them. "BUTITDIDN'TWORKOUTSOIWASGOINGTOTHROWITOUTBEFORETHEBELLRANGANDIHADTOGETTOCLASS!" the blonde-haired boy rambled out, hoping Marinette would calm down, only to look at him perplexed.

"Okay... but why did you say not to drink it if you were going to throw it out?" Marinette asked as she tilted her head, now not understanding Adrien's earlier panic and leaving the boy to flounder for an explanation.

"Uh..." Adrien nervously began, only to glance at the smirking Alya and Nino and feel their joint eagerness to see how he gets out of this little blunder, making him uneasy. However, he didn't let that stop him.

"It has... extra shots of caffeine in it?" the moonlighting cat hero finally replied, having needed to swallow down his nerves to come up with a plausible response.

"Exactly how many?" Marinette asked, leaning toward Adrien with a curious stare that reminded the blonde of a cat video he had recently seen, immediately soothing his nerves. But at least she, Alya and Nino seemed to be buying his story, so that was a plus.

"Enough to make someone your size bounce off the walls in about five minutes." Adrien replied with a playful smirk, his tone taking on a teasing pitch to it while Marinette's curious stare turned annoyed.

"Why does everyone bring up my height? I'm not that short!" Marinette huffed, crossing her arms with a pout.

"Uh, yeah, you are, gurl." Alya teased, earning a heated glare from Marinette.

"Yeah, so tiny!" Nino chimed in, grinning as he held up his nearly pinched fingers up to his eye to emphasise his and Alya's claim.

"Be that as it may..." Marinette tiredly began while rolling her eyes at the teasing pair, followed by her turning her attention back to Adrien. "I can handle my share of caffeine." she amusedly assured the blonde boy with a soft smirk, giving him a playful glare.

"Okay, fair enough. Sorry about assuming." Adrien replied, relief flooding him at how he managed to not get caught in his lie and at how the potion seemed not to affect Marinette.

"It's fine. But I'm taking the coffee as compensation." Marinette declared before she took another sip from the cup, her expression blissful as she let its warmth seep through her again.

"Alright, only fair." Adrien replied, unable to help the smile appearing on his face as the tension within him started dissipating. "So just out of curiosity, you're really not feeling any different?"

"I told you, I feel fine. In fact, I feel more energetic than I have in a long while." Marinette announced, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm as she smiled widely at her crush. "Whatever type of caffeine is in that coffee, I would kill for the recipe for when I make my own."

"Oh... good to know." Adrien said, watching as she sank back into her chair and more classmates began to filter in. But as the classroom grew more crowded, Adrien pulled out his phone and opened a new message chain, his heart still racing from the earlier commotion when the recently made contact glowed brightly on his screen.

Text Chain: Adrien & Artemis

Adrien: Hey, Artemis, it's me, Adrien.

He waited, tapping his fingers against the desk until her reply finally came.

Text Chain: Adrien & Artemis

Artemis: Hey, kid, what's up? Aren't you supposed to be in school?

Adrien: Yeah, I am. But I need to ask you something.

Artemis: What is it?

Adrien: Say someone bought a cup of coffee and laced it with the potion you gave me yesterday, but instead of it being drunk by Mr. Damocles, someone else drank it... what would you do?

Artemis: ...What happened? 😑

Adrien: ...Nothing!? 😅

Artemis: Spill it... now! 😠

Adrien: Alright, fine! I tried to give Mr. Damocles a coffee laced with the potion, but he had already made his own. I managed to get the potion into his mug with a little help from my kwami, but I still had the coffee I originally laced with the potion on me afterwards.

Artemis: And then someone drank it before you could get rid of it? 🤨

Adrien: Yes, my friend Marinette. But the weird thing is that while Damocles was affected by the potion, Marinette wasn't at all. Why is that?

Artemis: Okay, first of all, I'm assuming your plan worked despite the setback, so great job on that.

Adrien: It did. Thank you for the acknowledgement. ☺️

Artemis: My pleasure!

Artemis: Second of all, was either of the coffees decaf?

Adrien: Mr. Damocles, I think. He did say he was trying to lay off the stuff when I offered the potion-laced one to him.

Artemis: And the one you bought was caffeinated?

Adrien: Yes.

Artemis: Then there's the problem. I forgot to mention that the potion I gave you doesn't work when added to caffeinated drinks. Something about caffeine neutralises its effects and essentially turns it into an extra shot of the stuff.

Adrien: Ah... I see. So... is Marinette going to be okay?

Artemis: Oh yeah, she'll be just fine. A little more hyper than normal, but fine.

A wave of relief washed over Adrien, followed by a grin spreading across his face.

Text Chain: Adrien & Artemis

Adrien: Whew! What a relief!

Artemis: Yeah, sorry for the miscommunication. But on the plus side, at least your plan ended up working in the end.

Adrien: Hmm... true.

Artemis: In any case, I'll let you go back to class. Just keep an eye on Marinette in case she gets too hyper from the spiked coffee.

Adrien: Will do. Thanks for the help, Artemis.

Artemis: Anytime, kid. See ya later.

Adrien: See ya!

Now assured of no permanent consequences happening to his friend, Adrien closed his phone just as Ms Bustier entered the room, her warm smile instantly putting him at further ease. And as the classroom buzzed with energy and the laughter of his friends surrounded him like a familiar melody, Adrien settled back into his seat, heart still racing but ready to face whatever the day would bring.

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(Time Skip)

Classes that day seemed to fly by for Adrien, even as he kept a particularly close eye on Marinette after the 'Coffee Incident.' Artemis turned out to be right about the extra energy the designer would receive, but it seemed to only be in terms of being extra jumpy and slightly more alert than normal. Thankfully, it was too small a change that nobody noticed, leaving Adrien to get off scot-free from the accidental mishap... with the mental note to never let it happen again.

However, as soon as classes ended, Adrien zoomed straight for the locker rooms to get ready for fencing class, eager to find out if Kagami already knew about her upcoming enrollment into his class. He was so nervicited that he soon found himself standing in the school's quad area as it buzzed with the energy of the fencers awaiting their instructor to call them to order.

It was taking a little longer than Adrien expected, and yet he still joined his team in their warm-ups, glancing around for Kagami every chance he could. And just when the smell of sweat and polished wood filled the air, mingled with the sound of clattering blades, the girl's locker room door finally swung open, and Kagami stepped out, her helmet tucked underneath her arm. Immediately, the sight of her fencing partner brought a smile to Kagami's face, her eyes lighting up.

"Adrien!" Kagami called out, prompting Adrien to turn and see her making her way through their teammates and towards him.

"Hey, Kagami!" Adrien replied as he pushed up his fencing mask, revealing his face breaking into a warm smile to greet her. But instead of a return greeting, he was surprised to feel the normally reserved Kagami wrap her arms around his torso, almost snuggling into his body.

Without hesitation, Adrien returned the embrace, his smile growing at the display of affection. "I take it that you got the news, then?"

"I don't know how you managed to do it, but thank you so much for helping me enrol! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Kagami praised the boy as she tightened her embrace, her gratitude palpable.

"It was nothing I couldn't handle, Gami." he said, squeezing her gently before she pulled back to give him an unimpressed pout.

"Still not sold on the nickname." Kagami remarked, only to receive a grin from Adrien as he released her from the hug.

"Eh, we'll get there eventually. I'm just glad to have you coming to my school." Adrien said, causing Kagami's eyes to soften as she smiled at him. However, the moment was short-lived when Adrien remembered a rather crucial detail...

"Wait, what about your mom? How did she take the news?"

Upon receiving the question, Kagami's eyes lit up even more as the spark of excitement within them became almost tangible. "Believe it or not, she was actually proud of me."

"Mother was impressed with how I managed to get enrolled without her knowledge and didn't punish me like I thought she would. My extra lessons have been cancelled too, so... I'm completely in the clear." the red-clad fencer replied, her posture relaxing while Adrien's face lit up in pure happiness.

"That's amazing! I'm so happy for you!" Adrien exclaimed.

"Thank you, Adrien, but I couldn't have done it without you. I am forever grateful for your help." Kagami said, the gratitude in her eyes evident as she stepped closer and pulled him into another tight hug.

"Anytime." Adrien murmured into her hair, a warmth spreading through him before she pulled back again after a beat. "So, when's your first day?" the blonde-haired boy asked, his eyes shining with excitement and sudden curiosity about how soon Kagami would be joining his class.

"This coming Monday. I've already got all my books ordered and will be going shopping for school supplies after this." Kagami replied as she let out a small nervous laugh, despite the happy mood surrounding them.

"Awesome! You must be so excited!" Adrien cheered as he beamed at her, to which Kagami looked up and smiled at him.

"Excited... yes. But I'm also really nervous." Kagami suddenly admitted, her smile tinged with both anticipation and apprehension.

Adrien tilted his head, raising a questioning eyebrow at Kagami out of reflex. "Why are you nervous?"

"Well-" Kagami began, hesitating momentarily as she contemplated telling Adrien her concerns. However, the decision was suddenly made for her when Mr D'Argencourt cut through their conversation with a sharp clap, drawing everyone's attention to him. Following the sounds of clanging swords fading away, the class swarmed around their fencing instructor to await his instructions.

"We'll talk more about this later. We have practice to do." Kagami said to Adrien while giving him a small smile before jogging off to join the others, the blond model watching as she did.

"Right... of course." Adrien hesitantly muttered, not keen on letting the matter go entirely before joining Kagami and the rest of his fencing team.

"All right, everyone! Time to focus!" Mr D'Argencourt ordered after the class had swarmed around him, listening patiently for his instructions for the final few warm-up drills.

After doing laps around the courtyard and some rather tricky stretches D'Argencourt had decided to have them try out, the class quickly fell into formation in wait for their next instruction.

"Now, pair up and get ready to spar! I want to see you giving your all today." the fencing instructor's deep voice rang out, prompting the class to finally separate into their usual pairs and move to their sparring mats. Once they were at their usual mat, Kagami stepped back, her cheeks slightly flushed while her eyes sparkled with determination.

"Let's show them what we've got." Kagami declared as she pulled her helmet over her face, brandishing her sabre and swirling it in the air before pointing it at Adrien.

"Yes, let's!" Adrien replied with a smirk, pulling down his helmet as well before swiping the air with his sabre and pointing it at Kagami in return.

After the routine uttering of 'En garde! Prêt, allez!', the two of them were soon underway with their sparring. At the start of the match, Adrien admittedly let his mind linger on their previous conversation, trying to think of ways for Kagami to let him help her a little more. But with how ruthless Kagami's strategy usually was, he was soon slipping into the rhythm of practice to avoid a landslide defeat at her hands. The longer their practice went, the more the clash of swords, the precision of each strike, and the push of his own body to react quickly made the hours fly by. The two sparred, their blades clanging together in a graceful, almost rhythmic dance.

All the while, Adrien couldn't help but grin at Kagami. She was sharper today and more focused, and every time he got close to scoring a point, she effortlessly danced out of his reach time and time again. The lesson flew by as they practised thrusts and parries, exchanging playful banter as they took turns scoring points against each other. However, practice finally ended when Kagami gained the upper hand, defeating Adrien and winning their sparring 10-8.

"Nice move!" Adrien laughed after Kagami managed to land a quick jab to his side, glad she was mostly back to normal after yesterday.

"Thanks! But you need to work on your defense," Kagami teased, feigning a serious tone as she pushed her helmet up and away from her face to smile at him, her eyes twinkling with the thrill of the match.

"Alright, everyone, that's all for today! Pack it up and head on home." Mr D'Argencourt called to the students, which allowed them, Kagami and Adrien included, to walk away from their practice mats and slump against the courtyard wall, breathless and exhilarated.

"Whew! You were much more focused today. Nice to see your edge is back." Adrien said, wiping his brow with the back of his gloved hand.

"Who said it wasn't always there?" Kagami shot back, her tone playful as she sent a cocked eyebrow Adrien's way.

"Heh... fair enough." Adrien chuckled, pausing to reach for his water bottle next to him while an idea flickered through his mind. "On the other hand, you want to celebrate your enrollment at our usual spot before our rides get here?" Adrien asked, followed by taking a swig of water while Kagami's eyes lit up at the idea.

"Absolutely!" Kagami agreed, her enthusiasm infectious.

As they left the gym, the two of them walked side by side, the afternoon sun casting long shadows on the pavement as they made their way to their favorite café. Once inside, they settled at their usual table, the familiar smell of coffee and baked goods enveloping them. Adrien ordered two hot chocolates while Kagami scanned the menu, her brow furrowed in concentration.

"You should try the raspberry tart." Adrien suggested, leaning back in his chair. "I heard it's incredible."

Kagami paused for a moment, then grinned. "Why not? After all, today is a special occasion, and I deserve a treat."

"I'm glad you think so. It's not every day you get to start a new chapter in your life, after all." Adrien laughed at Kagami's excitement, but soon, his expression became serious as he sensed her lingering unease. "So... not to pry or anything, but you said earlier that you were nervous to start on Monday. Is it too personal, or...?"

Upon receiving the question, Kagami's face softened as she met his gaze again, her eyes searching for the right words. "No... It's not. I'm only nervous since this is my first time attending a public school. I'm worried I won't fit in. This is my one chance to make a good impression and... make more friends. I don't want to mess it up." She looked slightly away from Adrien, the weight of her confession hanging between them.

"Oof, I know that feeling all too well." Adrien said quietly but sincerely, his face softening as he scooted his chair closer to her. "I had the same worries when I first started public school."

"You did? Really?" Kagami gawked, not expecting to hear Adrien admit his previous hesitations about attending school.

"Yes, I did. But after making friends in Nino and Marinette after our... less-than-ideal introduction, making more friends was easy." Adrien explained, leaning forward and offering her an understanding smile. "I get your worries, I really do. But trust me, you'll be fine, and I promise, you won't mess anything up. You're smart. You're strong, and people just need to get to know the real you. Anyone who doesn't see that doesn't deserve your time." He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "That's the key. Find the ones who see you for who you are—flaws and all—and that's how you build friendships."

"Wish it were that simple for me. I tend to make terrible first impressions." Kagami replied with a smile, the bittersweet curve of her lips revealing her lingering self-doubt.

"You and Marinette seemed to hit it off pretty well at the ice rink." Adrien pointed out, hoping to cheer her up a little.

"Yeah... after needing to get past such an awkward first impression." Kagami countered, sending a pointed stare his way.

"Hey, that one was on me, okay? That had nothing to do with you." Adrien argued, returning Kagami's pointed stare as he raised his hands in surrender.

"Still, though." Kagami muttered, her gaze drifting to the ground below her feet as the flames of her earlier excitement quickly dulled into a smoldering ember.

"You just need a little practice interacting with others. Then you'll be ready to make more friends once you join the class." Adrien assured her, letting his arms fall back to the table before grabbing his menu to order something to eat while they talked.

"I'm starting on Monday. How am I going to practice with others when I've only got two days to do so?" Kagami questioned, mirroring Adrien's earlier action to find a good hot drink to pair with the raspberry tart she planned on getting.

"Hmm... good point." Adrien mused aloud, looking down at his menu in thought.

Their conversation soon turned into Adrien spouting out ideas on how to help Kagami with her dilemma. However, the hard part was that all his ideas were too tricky to pull off due to the timeframe or yet another issue that Kagami's analytical thought process kept putting a wrench in their plans. They continued talking even as they made their orders and the waitress brought them to the table, as well as when they dug into their respective treats and caffeine fixes.

Fortunately, it was when Adrien took a sip from his usual coffee that it finally hit him...

"Oh! How about you come to the photoshoot I'm doing this weekend?" Adrien exclaimed while nearly spilling his cup as he set it back on the table, the abrupt noise pulling Kagami out of enjoying her own coffee.

"Uh... How's that going to help me?" Kagami asked as she set her cup back onto its saucer, watching him curiously.

"Well, Marinette's coming tomorrow. I invited her to my next photoshoot after the whole 'Fill My Shoes' incident, so at least you'll be able to talk to her and improve your already existing friendship." Adrien explained, grabbing a napkin to clean up the bits of spilled coffee on the table surrounding his cup.

"Okay, I can see that appeal, and I am always keen on spending time with Marinette." Kagami said, handing Adrien another napkin after using the first one. "But seeing as I'm already friends with her, I don't see how that will help me in making more friends on my own when I join your class." The Japanese girl pointed out, waiting for further explanation.

"The girls in my class are pretty tight, same with the boys. You've already got an in with the girls by being friends with Marinette, and I'm already in the boy group, so I can help you there if you need it." Adrien elaborated, balling up the used napkins and setting them atop the unoccupied saucer. "But Marinette's not the only girl in our class's girl group coming tomorrow." the green-eyed model sneakily added, smirking at the now curious Kagami.

"Who else is coming?" Kagami asked with an eyebrow raised in intrigue, picking up her cup and taking another sip of her coffee.

"Marinette's business partner/friend, Lila." Adrien replied, a flicker of wariness passing over his face at the mere mention of her name.

"I wasn't aware Marinette had a business partner." Kagami said, taking note of Adrien's reaction when referring to the new name.

"Yeah, she helps with her fashion blog, apparently." Adrien stated, a sigh escaping him as he reached for his cup of coffee. "But I'm honestly unsure of how Marinette ended up trusting Lila enough to even consider being friendly with her, let alone offer to be her business partner." He slouched in his seat with a slight frown before taking a tense sip of his extra chocolaty coffee. Despite the warmth seeping through him from the hot beverage, it did little to cheer him up.

"Why do you say that? Is Lila a bully, or...?" Kagami asked, now concerned that Marinette might unknowingly be associated with such a person.

"More like she tends to run her mouth. Or at least she did when she first came to school." Adrien hurriedly assured his companion, sitting up when he realised how bad his previous summarisation had sounded.

"When Lila first came to school, she was already spewing lies about personally knowing all sorts of celebrities. She even lied about knowing Ladybug, and Alya interviewed her for the Lady Blog. At the time, I admittedly believed her, too. But after she lied to me about being a descendant of a vixen heroine—after stealing a book I 'borrowed' from my father to help sell her lie—Ladybug called her out on her lies. After that, I've been wary of her after her actions nearly cost me being pulled from school." He regaled, hoping to explain why he disliked his class's most recent addition.

"Wow..." Kagami breathed out, staring at Adrien with wide eyes in mortification.

Adrien sighed, his lips fluttering with a motor-like sound as he leaned his chin on one of his hands. "Yeah. She's... something else, huh?"

"That's one way to put it. But I don't understand how Marinette is friends with her after all that." Kagami remarked, setting her cup back onto its saucer as she processed his reaction. That is, until...

"Unless she doesn't know about Lila's behavior... does she?" the red-clad fencer asked, her trailing thoughts quickly fueling her newfound worries that Marinette was being duped.

"Oh, she knows. Has known since the very start for some reason, unlike me at first and the rest of our classmates." Adrien explained, almost inclined to mention how Marinette helped him to return to school that day. However, he held his tongue on the matter, knowing he couldn't explain how he found out without revealing his identity.

"I see." Kagami looked down at her cup for a second, taking in the news. "But again, if that's the case... why is Marinette friends with her?" she asked, unable to understand why a girl like Marinette would willingly be friends with someone like Lila seemed to be.

"In Lila's defense, she hasn't lied about herself or caused any trouble since her first day, so I'll give her that. Plus, Marinette always sees the good in others and strives to bring it out into the open, so you could say that her being Lila's friend has influenced her." Adrien explained, lifting his chin from his hand and letting it rest on the table alongside his other hand.

"And yet, you seem not to like her much." Kagami noticed, placing her cup down before crossing her arms with a raised eyebrow and an unimpressed pout sent Adrien's way.

"Well, her actions nearly got me pulled out of school... so that didn't make the best impression." Adrien groaned, turning Kagami's inquisitive stare into one of surprise when hearing about Lila's past deeds. "But after that, I've always gotten this vibe from her that she's not entirely genuine about changing her ways and is more nefarious than she seems." the blonde-haired boy admitted, scratching his head and exhaling sharply.

"On the other hand, if you can make friends with someone like Lila, then making friends with the rest of our classmates will be a piece of cake." Adrien quipped, moving his arm away from his head as he shrugged sheepishly at Kagami with a small smile.

"Um, why would I want to be friends with someone you seem unable to stand being in the same room with? That seems like the opposite of what I should do." Kagami questioned the boy, not seeing why he suggested such a thing.

"In truth, while I'm still iffy on Lila, I'm always a firm believer in people getting second chances. And lately, she hasn't given me any reason to outright dislike her." Adrien replied, clasping his hands and placing them before his cup. "At least not yet, anyway." he nervously added, giving Kagami a tense, lopsided smile.

"Well, when you put it like that..." Kagami trailed off, glancing to the side in thought before looking back to Adrien and seeing his hopeful wince. "Fine... I suppose it's worth a try to at least meet Lila and form my own opinions of her. But I make no promises that we'll end up getting along, alright?" Kagami replied with a relenting sigh, her lips twisting into a reluctant smile to match.

"Of course. A few people will get on your nerves, or you just have nothing in common with them. All I'm suggesting is that you just meet Lila and see how it goes from there. If it ends well, you have another friend to hang with when you come in on Monday and have practiced making more. If it doesn't end well, then you know what to avoid when making more friends later. It's a win-win." Adrien elaborated, his enthusiasm palpable when thinking of Kagami making more friends... and perhaps developing a deeper bond with him.

"Hmmm...." Kagami mused aloud, her expression thoughtful before nodding her head in agreement. "Alright, I'll bite. Let's see how meeting this Lila character will go."

"Awesome!" Adrien exclaimed, unable to contain the excitement in his voice as he pulled out his phone, nearly jumping up from his seat before stopping himself from making another mess. "Now I just have to let Marinette know you'll be coming. She's going to be so excited to see you again!"

"I'm excited, too. It will be nice to see her again. Tell her I said 'Hi,' please." Kagami asked, her spirits lifting slightly at the chance of becoming more social.

"Will do!" Adrien replied eagerly, pulling up Marinette's contact and clicking it, anticipation thrumming in the air as he put the phone to his ear, ready to share the exciting news that could change everything for Kagami and usher in a new chapter for them.

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Meanwhile, the girl in question was on her way to the post office, a large hat box sitting in her arms as she walked down the street. Prior to her current task, Marinette had proudly shown off the completed 'Geode Hat' to her gal pals during lunch, leaving them amazed by the sparkling headwear. However, their admiration and quick photoshoots of Lila modelling the hat for fun, unfortunately, came to an end, and they had to head back to class.

On the plus side, while hanging out with her girls during lunch usually meant Marinette had to skip her daily call with Jim, she didn't have to worry about it due to him getting called to handle another rogue gnome at Bagdewlla's. So they agreed to reschedule as soon as possible on account of needing to report any new observations on the recent akumas. Since Hawkmoth's new ability to force akumatization on certain individuals had surfaced, Marinette had filled in Chat Noir and Master Fu about it. Needless to say, they were very concerned about it, but when she explained what she had learned from Blinky, they were much calmer.

It was then that she mentioned how her anonymous joint friend with the Trollhunter, aka Toby, would now be their trusted gatherer of akuma stats and super-ability archivist. At first, Chat Noir and Master Fu, especially Master Fu, were skeptical of someone outside of Paris knowing sensitive details about their work. But after she explained how she trusted her chosen friend and how it would add an extra layer of secrecy to their discoveries, their mentor was more open to it. The matter was finally settled when Marinette added that informing the Trollhunters about these matters was also to prepare them for possible attacks from Hawkmoth... should he find out about the existence of Trolls, of course. After all, the Miraculous Holders weren't the only ones who needed to worry about threats coming to their city from the other side of the world.

But they didn't need to worry much about that at the moment, thankfully. So all the Trollhunters and Miraculous Holders needed and could do was just keep track of any and all new developments from their opposite side of the globe. This was exactly what Marinette and Jim were doing as she neared the post office...

"...And that's all for our end. Nothing too major, but still moderately concerning." Marinette declared while looking at the path ahead, her phone on top of the box in her arms to avoid dropping it while walking.

"Still enough for Toby to put in his archive." Jim replied, his voice crackling through the receiver as he jotted down the last bits of her report to relay to Toby tomorrow.

"How's it coming along, by the way? Blinky helping him get it set up?" Marinette asked as she approached the crosswalk, awkwardly pushing the crossing button with her elbow and keeping an eye on the light.

"It's coming along pretty well. Blinky has been pretty excited to have someone else use his library other than him, so he's been going all out to provide Toby with all he needs to make his new archive. File cabinets, empty books to fill in with observations, shelves to store them in, pens to write with, the works!" Jim exclaimed, his enthusiasm for his buddy's new role palpable over the phone. "Not to mention Toby's already got a head start with his lists, so he's been busy outside of homework and getting the finer details down for the previously made akumas to start filling up the new archives. Honestly, I've never seen him so excited to do stuff like this before." the Trollhunter added, a smile creeping across his lips when remembering Toby's earlier excitement.

"Well, he hasn't been able to help you out much with fighting stuff, nor has he been able to help me on my end. So I imagine he thinks that this is his way of making up for it." Marinette replied, mindlessly tapping her foot while waiting for the light to change.

"Hmm, fair point. But Toby knows that I don't fault him for not helping me in fights directly, right?" Jim wondered aloud, the crosswalk light quickly turning green and letting Marinette start walking across the street. "He may not have a weapon to defend himself with, but he's saved my life plenty of times without one. I'm proud to have him helping me like he has already." the junior chef admitted, now worried that he inadvertently made Toby feel inadequate before receiving his new archivist role.

"I'm sure he does know. But Toby can do this to help both of us, so there's that." Marinette assured Jim, hoping to ease his worries on that front. "On the other hand, it probably wouldn't hurt to remind Toby of how much you value having him as your teammate and best friend. Especially when he's saved your ass a lot by this point." Marinette teased as she reached the other side of the crosswalk, earning a surprised gawk from Jim.

"Language!" Jim scolded his little sister after getting over his initial shock, pointing at her in mock accusation.

"Hey! You know I'm right. Deal with it." Marinette sassed, smiling like a cat who got the cream at the slight rise she got from him.

"Yeah... you're right, unfortunately." Jim huffed in mock indignation, unable to stop himself from smiling when Marinette let out a triumphant 'HA!' at his defeat. "On both counts, actually. And I'll make sure to tell Toby how much I appreciate him the next time I see him." the blue-eyed boy promised, mere seconds before Marinette reached the other side of the crosswalk.

"Good!" Marinette chirped happily, just as a sudden buzz from her phone startled her. "Huh, that's odd. No one usually calls me when I'm calling you." the designer mused aloud while slightly tilting her head in confusion, both she and Jim surprised by the sudden interruption.

"Yeah, but we don't usually call this late either, so..." Jim countered, shrugging his shoulders in a 'What can you do' manner.

Seeing he had a good point, Marinette conceded before returning to her phone's consistent buzzing. "Wonder who it is." she said as she stepped up to an open window ledge she spotted and gently placed the hat box atop it. Once the hat was safe, Marinette answered the new call and absentmindedly raised the receiver closer to her lips.

"Hello, Marinette speaking!" Marinette happily greeted the person on call, having not seen who it was before answering out of the desire to wrap it up quickly so that she and Jim could keep talking.

"Hey, Marinette!" the familiar ring of Adrien's voice lit up from the other end in reply.

Upon hearing her crush's voice on the call, the sound sent an unanticipated jolt through Marinette, and her heart raced as she panicked at the revelation. But amid a flurry of failing limbs, the hat box slipped from the window ledge as she tried to regain control. This led to Marinette reaching to grab the box and subsequently finding herself and her hat box fumbling through the air towards the ground. Thankfully, her flailing/falling ended when her foot hooked onto the open ledge, and she held her hatbox above her with one hand.

During her fall, she managed to get her foot caught on the edge of the ledge, all while her other leg acted like a pillar and kept her from falling back first to the ground. After the initial shock, Marinette felt herself panting as she took stock of her new position, one hand gripping the hat box high above her and her phone with the other as she teetered dangerously close to losing her balance. But Marinette was grateful to have managed to stabilize herself and turned her attention to her phone to shoot a nervous smile at her unexpected caller.

"Adrien! Hey there!" Marinette chirped in greeting, trying to move from her precarious position but unable now. When that plan failed, she regathered her composure and focused all her attention on him.

"Hi! I'm not catching you at a bad time, am I?" Adrien asked, his tone light and casual while holding a sense of worry to it.

"Uh... It could be better." Marinette bashfully admitted, glancing at her current position as she struggled to adjust it without falling to the ground. "But never mind that. What's up?" the pigtailed girl asked, hoping to distract herself from her potential faceplant with the pavement.

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about tomorrow's photo shoot." Adrien began, hoping to get right down to business.

"Why? Did something bad happen?" Marinette asked with widened eyes, a knot of worry tightening in her stomach.

"No, nothing has happened. I was just wondering if you'd be okay with someone else joining you and Lila tomorrow?" Adrien enquired, which took Marinette by surprise.

"Sure, of course! It's your photoshoot, so you can invite anyone you want. Besides, I kind of forced you to let Lila come, so it's only fair." Marinette replied, trying to sound nonchalant despite the sense of dread slowly creeping in on her. "So, who's coming?" the red-tipped-haired girl asked, glancing back at her current position to try and get her standing on two feet again.

"Kagami." Adrien replied.

"Kagami?" Marinette echoed in surprise, causing her to jerk back slightly and nearly lose her balance again.

"Yeah. Is something wrong? I thought you two were friends now." Adrien asked, unaware of Marinette catching herself from falling and clutching the hat box as best she could with her lone hand.

"We are. But the reason why I'm surprised is that I never expected her to be interested in fashion. I have to admit, I didn't see that coming." Marinette said, grappling with the news in confusion as she finally settled herself.

"She's not. She's not coming to see the actual photoshoot, just to hang out with you, Lila and somewhat me when I'm not on duty." Adrien chuckled in amusement, causing Marinette to picture his smile in extreme detail as if he were right before her.

"Oh, okay." Marinette uttered, nodding in understanding. But after a beat of silence passed, she then added cautiously... "But why the sudden interest in hanging out? The last time I called her, she said she had a busy schedule." the designer questioned, her tongue blipping past her lips as she looked back at the foot atop the windowsill and gently lifted it to try putting it back on the ground.

"Well... that actually had to do with her mother trying to stop her recent attempts to enroll at our school." Adrien responded tentatively, suddenly catching Marinette off guard.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! What?!" Marinette exclaimed, unintentionally jerking her body too much yet again and losing her footing entirely. "WHAA!!" the blue-eyed girl wailed as she fell to the ground, landing right on her back with a thud. The impact left her a little winded, but thankfully, she managed to maneuver herself and her things to save herself from hitting her head and keep the hat box and her phone from slipping out of her grip.

"Marinette! Are you okay?!" Adrien worriedly asked from the call, his voice laced with concern as she sat up and placed the hat box gingerly beside her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just had a little tumble." Marinette sighed, brushing off her moments of clumsiness before turning her attention back to their conversation. "But back up a little bit. Kagami is trying to get enrolled at our school?"

"Actually, she's already enrolled, with a little help on my part to get her paperwork to Damocles without her mother knowing. She's going to be joining our class Monday morning!" Adrien exclaimed, his voice buoyant with so much excitement that Marinette couldn't help but share in it, too.

"That's awesome! I'm so happy for her!" Marinette cheered, a genuine smile breaking across her face.

"Same here. But she's nervous about her first impression with the class, so I invited her to tomorrow to help her practice." Adrien explained, finally giving Marinette the complete picture of the situation.

"Well, I'm always down to help a friend out, and I'm sure Lila would be too once they meet." Marinette said, her heart swelling with joy for Kagami alongside her eagerness to help her newest friend.

"Great! I'll let her know that you're cool with her coming. Thanks, Marinette!" Adrien exclaimed gratefully, so happy that Marinette was willing to help out.

"Anytime, Adrien!" Marinette responded, smiling even as Adrien hung up, and she calmly returned her attention to Jim, who had been waiting silently on the line during the call.

"Well... that was hard to watch." Jim remarked, his tone less teasing than it was concerned, causing Marinette to pout at him in annoyance.

"Now don't you start with me, Jim." Marinette said, rolling her eyes at how predictably displeased her big brother was acting now that Adrien wasn't on call anymore.

"Hey, I'm just worried about you. I know you and Kagami have this little deal going on regarding Adrien, but I'm worried you're putting another's happiness above your own." Jim said, his voice softened with genuine concern as he expressed his reservations about his sister's recent choices.

"I'm not, Jim. We both have a chance at dating Adrien." Marinette countered as she stood up from the ground, having already gone through the implications of her deal with Kagami within her mind ages ago. "Aside from the boy drama, I'm thrilled Kagami is coming to my class next week. She's my friend, and I would love for her to meet the others and join our group." she said as she grabbed the hat box and went on her way again, unable to hide her genuine excitement for Kagami.

"Be that as it may, and as much as I don't support the possibility of you dating Adrien... you're losing the biggest advantage you had over her to win him over." Jim cautioned, his brow knit with worry.

To his surprise, Marinette stopped and huffed in annoyance as she raised her phone to her eye level, looking at Jim with a stoney glare. "Jim, Kagami has more things in common with Adrien than I do and is probably the only person who can truly emotionally understand him from what I've seen and heard about. I was already disadvantaged when I offered the deal to Kagami. So if Adrien does choose to date me, it'll be because he likes me for me and not just because I impressed him with some fancy achievement. And that's all I really want from who I'm dating." the designer sighed, her heartfelt honesty laid bare before Jim, who seemed struck by the depth of her feelings if his trembling lip and misty eyes were anything to go by.

"Damn it, Mari. Your heart of gold and self-sacrificing tendencies are going to be the death of me one of these days." Jim groaned, unable to deny his sister when she said such sweet and admittedly romantic things. As much as he disliked Marinette's crush on 'Model Boy' Adrien Agreste, Jim couldn't deny that she genuinely loved him and wanted the best for him.

At the compliment/complaint, Marinette couldn't help her glare diffusing into a grin. "I could say the same of you, Jimmy."

"Heh... you haven't called me that in years. I missed it." Jim chuckled, smiling at the old nickname as the warmth of their shared memories flooded his mind.

"Same here. Brings back memories of our childhood, huh?" Marinette replied as she walked to the post office, prompting them to take an impromptu venture down memory lane.

"Yep. Mari, Jimmy and Toby: Arcadia Oaks Unlucky Trio!" Jim reminisced fondly. "I still can't believe some of the accidents we managed to get out of. Remember that summer when we flooded the basement?"

"Like it was yesterday!" Marinette laughed. "Or the time we got lost when we all went to that circus when you and Toby visited Paris for the first time?" the pigtailed girl supplied, one of her favorite memories popping up now that they were talking about their childhood.

"Oh man, yeah! Toby was so scared of the clowns that he peed his pants! It was hilarious!" Jim exclaimed, both of them laughing at the memory.

"Yeah, it was." Marinette said as they came down from their bout of laughter, turning a corner to see the post office coming into view. "Speaking of Toby, I just got to the post office. I will be dark for a minute while I take care of his gift." the red-tipped-haired girl reported, the familiar building feeling like an end to her busy day.

"Still can't believe Toby's got more gifts from you this year than me! And this next one he's going to get is basically a piece of high-level couture!" Jim whined with a displeased pout. But the edge of playful jealousy lacing his words was a dead giveaway that he was just messing around.

"Jim, the Geode Hat isn't a couture piece. It's fancy enough to be a formal piece, but not to the degree of high-end couture." Marinette insisted, coming up to the post office door just as another patron exited, the cool air contrasting with the outside warmth.

"Yeah, right! Your skills are easily on par with the best designers in the world. Why else would Adrien's dad choose your derby hat for their upcoming annual fashion show?" Jim shot back, throwing his free hand out in an 'Are you serious, right now' manner while admiring Marinette's talents.

"Okay, fair point. But seriously, I still have much to learn before I'm at the level Gabriel Agreste is at." Marinette said with a smile, feeling a flutter of pride at the compliment.

"Keep telling yourself that, sis. But I already know otherwise." Jim replied as Marinette entered the post office, unable to understand why she was so modest. But he kept that to himself as he watched Marinette approach the delivery counter, ready to send the cherished gift to Toby in time for Heroes Day. 'Let's just hope things turn out well tomorrow.' the Trollhunter thought to himself.