Early the next morning, the first ray of sunlight cast mottled shadows on the apartment floor through the gaps in the blinds.
Jaden woke up, the strange dream of a dead silent city and a Black Cat Ladybug from the previous night lingering in his mind, but he simply blinked lazily and dismissed it.
He turned his head and looked at Duusu, who was curled up in a ball beside his pillow, still sleeping soundly, and the corners of his lips involuntarily curved upward.
"Good morning," he whispered, careful not to disturb the little one's sweet dream.
He quietly got out of bed, washed up, and then walked into the kitchen, skillfully preparing a simple French breakfast for himself—golden fried eggs, lightly toasted bread, and a glass of hot milk.
He carried the tray to the living room, turned on the TV, where the news channel was showing street scenes of Paris in the early morning.
Just then, his phone chimed. He picked it up and saw Rose's name displayed on the screen.
[Jaden, good morning.]
Jaden smiled and replied: [Good morning, Rose.]
[Um... are you free today?] The message was returned almost instantly, containing a hint of cautious inquiry between the lines.
[I am.]
[Then... can we go out together? Just... just the two of us.]
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, in Rose's room, she and her other self, "An Rose," were sitting nervously side-by-side on the edge of the bed.
An Rose looked at the expectant yet nervous expression of her "self" from this world, her face filled with disbelief.
In her world, although she was outgoing and lively, it was the first time she had ever actively invited a boy on such an explicit date, which was truly rare.
Rose tightly clutched her phone, her palms sweaty, her heart pounding, anxiously awaiting the reply that would determine her mood for the day.
Jaden looked at the message on the screen and replied: [No problem, the pleasure is mine.]
He selected a quiet plaza in the city center as the meeting spot and sent the location.
After receiving Rose's joyful reply, [Great, see you soon!], he put down his phone.
"Mmm... that smells good..."
Duusu flew out of the bedroom, rubbing her sleepy eyes. She sniffed the air and was immediately drawn to the breakfast on the table.
She cheered and tried to pounce on the fried eggs.
"Go wash up first."
Jaden stretched out a finger, blocking her path.
Duusu reluctantly pouted and slowly flew toward the bathroom.
Soon after, she reappeared, having tidied herself up completely, and flew back to the dining table to enjoy the portion of breakfast Jaden had prepared for her.
She ate small bites while curiously watching Jaden, who was changing clothes and fixing his hair.
"Jaden, you're dressing up," she asked indistinctly, "Are you going out?"
"Yes,"
Jaden replied with a smile, looking at himself in the mirror, "I'm going to fulfill a girl's appointment."
"A girl's appointment?"
Duusu's large eyes instantly lit up. "Wow, how sweet!"
But then, she suddenly thought of something. She put down the small fork with a clatter and flew angrily in front of Jaden, blocking his path.
"Will you... will you get married and have babies like they do in TV dramas... and then... and then neglect me and not want me anymore!"
As Duusu spoke, her voice became tearful, and a film of mist instantly covered her indigo eyes, tears welling up but not falling.
Jaden looked at her pitiful yet adorable appearance, feeling both helpless and amused.
He reached out and gently stroked her head, his voice soft enough to melt everything: "How could that happen?"
He said seriously: "Duusu is the most important partner to me.
No matter what happens, that will never change. How could I neglect you?"
Hearing these words, Duusu's mood immediately brightened.
She rubbed her small head against Jaden's hand and smiled happily, then flew back to the dining table to continue battling her breakfast.
Jaden finished getting ready, instructed Duusu to stay home and watch TV before leaving, and set off for his date.
The streets of Paris were filled with the breath of life in the early morning. Cafés lining the streets emitted rich aromas, and pedestrians walked unhurriedly, enjoying the rare leisure.
Jaden walked along the sidewalk, his mood relaxing as well.
Just as he turned a corner, two hurried figures ran toward him.
Looking closely, it was Sabrina and her counterpart, An Sabrina.
Seeing their frantic appearance, it was obvious they were heading to find Chloé.
Sabrina, rushing to get there, didn't notice a loose paving stone underfoot. Her ankle twisted, she cried out in surprise, and was about to fall.
Just then, a hand reached out from the side and firmly supported her arm.
"Are you alright?" Jaden's gentle voice sounded in their ears.
Sabrina recognized Jaden, quickly thanked him, and said she was fine.
She asked curiously, "Jaden, where are you going?"
"Just strolling around,"
Jaden replied with a smile, "You two can carry on with what you're doing."
After speaking, he bid them a friendly farewell and continued walking forward.
"I just feel like... something's off about him."
Sabrina muttered softly, watching Jaden's retreating back.
"Is there?"
An Sabrina didn't share the same apprehension.
In her world, Jaden didn't exist, so she was more curious about his appearance than suspicious.
"Should we follow him and see?" Sabrina suggested.
Thus, the two girls quietly trailed behind Jaden from a short distance, like two clumsy detectives.
Jaden arrived at the agreed-upon plaza, sat down on a bench, and waited quietly.
Before long, a lively figure appeared at the entrance of the plaza.
It was Rose. She had dressed up especially for the occasion today; the pink dress made her look even more charming and cute.
She had come alone.
Hidden around a nearby street corner, An Rose watched her counterpart bravely walking toward happiness, a sweet smile appearing on her face too.
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
Rose walked up to Jaden, a blush of shyness on her cheeks.
"It's alright, I just arrived myself."
Jaden stood up and smiled, saying, "Besides, waiting for a beautiful princess is a pleasure in itself."
This slightly sweet remark made Rose's face turn even redder.
She lowered her head and whispered, "Um... I asked you out because... because I wanted to say something to you. But... I don't know how to say it."
Seeing her nervous yet adorable appearance, Jaden's gaze grew even softer.
He said, "It's okay if you can't figure it out. Perhaps the answer lies in our journey today; we can take our time finding it."
With that, he extended his hand to her.
Rose looked up at his smiling eyes and his outstretched hand, her heart seeming to skip a beat.
She hesitated for a moment, but finally shyly placed her hand into his warm palm.
The two of them, hand in hand, began their shopping trip.
"Wow..." Sabrina and An Sabrina, hiding far away, let out gasps of envy when they saw this scene.
"Rose is actually this close to a boy. I thought she would only have this kind of courage after a Akumatization."
An Sabrina's words were complicated.
Sabrina asked her doubtfully, "Rose... in your world, was she ever subjected to a Akumatization?"
"Yes," An Sabrina nodded, "She was transformed into the 'Princess Fragrance'."
The four words "Princess Fragrance" were like a spell, instantly igniting forgotten memories in Sabrina's mind.
She remembered the last time at the clothing store, Jaden had been intimate with that girl right in front of her and Chloé, even using the power of the Black Cat to eliminate some kind of "sickness" from that girl.
"Did Rose in your world... ever get sick?" Sabrina asked eagerly.
"Sick?"
An Sabrina looked bewildered. "No, she's always been healthy."
Just then, both their phones rang simultaneously. Chloé and An Chloé's names flashed on the screens.
"Where the hell have you two been?!"
As soon as they answered the calls, Chloé's impatient shriek came through, "How much longer do I have to wait for you?!"
Not daring to delay, the two immediately gave up tracking and ran toward the Paris Grand Hotel.
Paris Grand Hotel, Presidential Suite.
"Why are you two so late?"
Chloé and An Chloé were sitting on the sofa, enjoying the breakfast that had already been prepared, and simultaneously voiced their displeasure upon seeing the two breathless girls.
Sabrina, while catching her breath, reported everything she had just witnessed to Chloé.
Halfway through the account, Chloé's brows furrowed tightly.
She fell into deep confusion.
In the previous recording, Jaden was clearly subjected to a Akumatization alongside a desperate girl she didn't know in the hallway, becoming the "Prince of flowers" and the "Princess Fragrance."
But why, in this parallel version, had the person transformed into the "Princess Fragrance" turned out to be Rose?
She looked doubtfully at her other self: "Hey, how much do you know about Rose in your world?"
An Chloé was enjoying the strawberries that An Sabrina had peeled for her. Hearing the question, she merely glanced at her lazily and said scornfully, "Why would I bother learning about that idiot?"
Chloé rolled her eyes internally.
How could she place hope in someone exactly like herself? She was utterly indifferent to classmates other than herself.
"Sabrina,"
she commanded instead, "What are they doing now?"
"It looks like... they're shopping." Sabrina reported truthfully.
"What? Shopping?!"
Chloé slammed the knife and fork onto the table with a clatter and jumped up from the sofa. "It's a date, isn't it?! How can he go on a date with another girl?!"
"Calm down,"
An Chloé, startled by her, advised, "It's not Adrien, why are you getting so agitated?"
She had only met Jaden once yesterday and didn't have any strong impressions of him.
"Adrien is ancient history!"
Chloé said impatiently.
She paced around the room restlessly for a few steps, then suddenly stopped and walked out of the room.
Under Sabrina's gaze, which held a mix of anticipation and worry, she quickly returned, a cold, determined smirk on her face.
"A date? Hmph,"
She sat back down on the sofa, elegantly picked up a napkin, and wiped her mouth. "How can he go on a date with another girl before he dates me, the Queen? Sabrina, go pick out all the strawberry seeds for me."
Seeing Chloé like this, Sabrina immediately understood—she had notified Hawk Moth again.
An "accident" targeting Jaden and Rose's date was probably already on the way.
For some reason, Sabrina felt a faint sense of satisfaction.
On the other side, at Marinette's house.
"Emergency Alert! Emergency Alert! Code Red! Marinette, get up now!"
Alya rushed into the bakery with An Alya, greeted Tom and Sabine, and then bolted up to the attic.
"Ugh... Alya... what time is it..."
Marinette's muffled grumble came from beneath the covers. She rolled over and pulled the blanket tighter over her head.
On the other makeshift cot nearby, An Marinette also frowned, clearly displeased with the sudden disturbance.
"No time to explain!"
Alya yanked Marinette's blanket off, and An Alya followed suit, pulling An Marinette's off.
"The plan has changed, the 'Prince's' target has shifted significantly!"
"What Prince... what happened to Alternate Adrien..." An Marinette sat up, still groggy.
"Not the Lightbulb!"
Alya stood with her hands on her hips, like a general issuing battle orders, "It's Jaden! Right now, he is on a date with Rose!"
This sentence was like a silent bolt of lightning striking Marinette's head.
All her sleepiness vanished. She sat up abruptly, her dark blue pigtails sticking up from the sudden movement.
"What did you say? A date? With Rose? Didn't we agree on Alix..."
"That's why this is another trap!"
Alya paced back and forth in the room, tapping her chin, her eyes gleaming with the light of case analysis.
"Alix is straightforward, but she's not good at guiding such delicate emotional developments.
Now that it's Rose... a girl who looks fragile but is incredibly determined inside, this is even trickier!
Her affinity is too strong, making it easy for people to drop their guard!"
"Then... then what should we do?"
Marinette's voice was tearful, and she started uncontrollably overthinking.
"What if... what if Jaden really does get together with Rose... and they confirm their relationship... and then... then they get married and have children..."
Her voice trailed off, and her face fell, as if she had already seen her completely hopeless future.
"What should we do? Of course, we go ruin... ah, no, we go 'protect' their friendship!"
"Hey, hey, what are you guys talking about?"
An Alya, who was completely confused, asked, "Shouldn't the Prince be Alternate Adrien? Why is it someone named Jaden? And why is Marinette reacting so strongly? Did that boy named Jaden... actually go on a date with this world's Rose?"
An Marinette sighed, pulled the still-confused An Alya aside, and whispered in her ear using the simplest language: "Listen, this world's Marinette, she doesn't like Alternate Adrien, she likes Jaden. The black-haired boy from yesterday."
"Oh—" An Alya realized, then looked at Marinette with the gaze reserved for a rare animal, seemingly curious about what kind of magic that boy named Jaden possessed.