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chapter 11 – Strings and Pages
(MC POV)
Weeks passed in a rhythm that almost felt natural.
School. Training. Nights inside the Timeless Zone, refining plans that danced at the edge of science and magic.
By now, my base was nearly complete. The underwater hub near the Savage Land stood ready—walls reinforced, power stabilized, systems humming. All that remained was the brain of the operation.
An AI.
Not just any AI, but one I could trust. One no hacker, no government agency, no alien tech could twist against me. That was the challenge.
Sitting at my desk one late night, I scribbled notes across a growing pile of diagrams.
Firewalls layered like spiderwebs. Code that rewrites itself. Encryption beyond human reach… but also something intuitive, responsive. Not just a program. Something adaptive.
I stared at the sketch of a watchtower-like interface, rubbing my temples. "If someone like Doom or Stark tried to crack it, it'd need to evolve faster than they can think."
The Kwamis floated nearby, watching silently for once.
Plagg yawned. "Sounds like you're overcomplicating it."
"I have to," I muttered. "One mistake and the whole thing collapses."
But that could wait. I had another promise to keep.
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At School – After Class
Marinette leaned over her desk, flipping through freshly inked pages. "Chapter Ten," she whispered. "We actually finished ten chapters."
I grinned. "Feels good, right?"
Her lips curved shyly. "Yeah… but, Adrien, we've been making this for us. What about sharing it? How are you planning to publish it?"
"Submit it to a company," I said, stretching. "Send the manuscript, see who bites."
Her eyes widened. "Really?"
"Why not? Worst case, we learn from rejection. Best case, people get to read this story."
She hesitated, then smiled. "I… I want people to see it too."
I tapped my notebook. "Actually, I've been writing something else. A theme song. Music to go with the manga."
Marinette blinked. "Music?"
"Yeah. Want to hear it?"
She nodded eagerly.
So after class, we slipped into the quiet music room.
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The Music Room
Dusty sunlight poured across the grand piano in the corner. I set down my bag, flexed my fingers, and took a deep breath.
The first notes rose soft and tentative. Then stronger, flowing into the melody I'd shaped over sleepless nights. A piece equal parts hope and sorrow, echoing the spirit of Your Lie in April.
Marinette sat close, hands clasped, eyes shining.
When I risked a glance at her, she wasn't the nervous, stuttering girl I'd met weeks ago. She was entranced, fully immersed.
The final chord lingered in the air like a heartbeat.
"That was…" She exhaled slowly. "Beautiful. Adrien, it's perfect."
Before I could reply, clapping broke the silence.
I froze.
Three figures leaned in the doorway—Flash Thompson, Harry Osborn, and Liz Allan.
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Unexpected Audience
"Dude!" Flash strode in, grinning. "That was insane! You going pro or what?"
I blinked, caught off guard. "Uh, no. It's just… for fun."
Harry tilted his head. "Doesn't sound like just fun. That was professional-level."
Liz added, "Seriously, Adrien, you never told us you could play like that."
I rubbed the back of my neck. "It's not really about me. Marinette and I are working on a manga. This is… the theme song for it."
Flash raised a brow. "Wait, a manga?"
Marinette nodded timidly. "Y-Yes. We've… we've been drawing it together."
Harry stepped forward. "Can we see?"
For a moment, I hesitated. This was personal—our hours of work bound in those pages. But then I nodded, handing over the folder.
They flipped through it in silence.
Flash was the first to speak. "The story's decent, I guess. But the music—the music sells it."
Liz ignored him, eyes shining as she turned another page. "No, this is… this is really good. The art, the pacing, the emotion—it feels real."
Harry nodded slowly. "I didn't expect this from you, Adrien. Honestly? It's impressive."
Relief loosened my chest.
Harry closed the folder carefully. "If you ever need help with publishing, let me know. OsCorp has… connections. I could get it into the right hands."
I considered his offer carefully, then said, "All I need is help getting it published. The rest we'll handle ourselves."
He smiled faintly. "Fair enough. You've got guts."
Flash clapped my shoulder. "Still think you should go pro with the music, dude. That's your golden ticket."
Marinette laughed softly. "Why not both?"
For a brief moment, the room felt lighter. Like we weren't just classmates, but something closer.
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Later – Walking Home
Marinette hugged her sketchbook close, cheeks still pink from the attention.
"They really liked it," she whispered.
"Told you they would," I said.
She glanced at me. "Do you think we can actually… do this? Publish it?"
I thought about Venom, about the chaos always on the horizon. Then I thought about the piano, about the way her eyes lit up when she heard the song.
"Yeah," I said firmly. "We can."
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That Night – (MC POV)
Back in my room, I sat at my desk, staring between two worlds.
On one side: my AI schematics, defensive layers scribbled across page after page. The foundation of a surveillance system that could protect everything I was building.
On the other: the manga pages, carefully stacked, ready to be sent out. A story born not from strategy, but from heart.
The Kwamis floated above, watching.
"You've got your hands full," Wayzz said gently.
"Yeah," I admitted. "But maybe that's a good thing."
I slid the AI notes aside, pulling the manga pages closer. "One step at a time."
And for the first time in weeks, I let myself relax.
Because maybe, just maybe, I wasn't just preparing for battles.
Maybe I was building something worth protecting.
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