A Miraculous Story Book 3: Rivals Part 1: Queen Wasp 2

• Almost Ready •

Picture from title cover: Ladybug's Melody ❤️ by Adrien Agreste

"So, what exactly is Luka to you?" Alya asked, completely out of the blue. She was laying on her stomach on the little sofa in Marinette's room, scrolling through her phone. She'd come across a post including Mari and her blue-haired friend, reminding her of their status, which she wasn't even really sure on. So she just asked.

"Wh- what??" Marinette stuttered at the completely irrelevant question, looking up from her homework on the ground at her friend, who then, in turn, looked back at her from her phone.

"Well, what is Luka to you?" Alya repeated calmly, just a hint of playfulness in her voice. "Are you two dating, or like, just friends?"

Marinette gaped at her friend, trying to come up with an answer. If she was being honest, she really didn't know what Luka was to her either.
"Uhhh..."

"I don't know, I've just noticed you two spending so much time together, Adrien was kinda pushed out of the picture," Alya continued with a casual shrug. "I've been meaning to ask you but kept forgetting."

It was true she'd spent so much time with Luka recently. But it's not like it was romantic or anything! But then again, Adrien had almost become just a friend. Was he just a friend?
She'd been able to hold an ordinary conversation with him quite a few times recently, one void of her stuttering and blubbering in a blushing mess. Did that mean she didn't love him anymore? She'd stopped to think about this only a few times, but never thought all the way through it. This was the moment she would probably have to decide.

"Luka is... He's a really amazing guy, and Adrien is as well," Marinette began to reason. "But Adrien isn't ever going to love me, especially with Kagami in the picture." She really couldn't believe she was saying this, but if Adrien and Kagami were happy together, then she would also be content as well. She should be happy for her friends, not envious of them. That wouldn't make her a very good friend, would it?

"So... are you really giving up on Adrien for Luka?" Alya asked, very straightforwardly. It felt strange to her that Marinette might actually give up on Adrien, after all she's done for him. Change can be very strange sometimes.

Marinette thought for a moment.
"No, I don't think I will quite yet," she said, tapping her chin with the tip of her pen. She's come too far to just give up on Adrien Agreste.
"I'll give him one last shot."

• • •

[ The Agreste Mansion ]
"I'm so glad you could come over, Kagami!" Adrien exclaimed as Nathalie led him and his fencing partner up the staircase to his room.

"I'm so glad my mother and your father let me come," Kagami replied politely.

"Yeah!" Adrien said, entering his room. He stood by his door to wait for Kagami to enter, then nodded at Nathalie. Nathalie nodded in return and left the two of them alone, closing the door before leaving.

Kagami looked around, observing the teen model's impressive bedroom.
"Your room is very large, Adrien," she commented, wandering past the grand piano, over to the bed.
"May I... sit?" Kagami asked, gesturing to the black sheets.

"Oh yeah, o- of course," Adrien said. Kagami promptly took a seat on his bed.
"So, what do you wanna do?" he asked, waving his arm around his spacious room. "There's basketball, foosball, videogames, movies..." he listed, numbering the options with his fingers.

"Can you play the piano for me?"

The question made Adrien freeze. He'd been avoiding playing his piano in front of others, as he'd set it up as the hiding place for the Miracle Box Ladybug has entrusted him with. If he played the correct notes, then it'd open up and his secret would be revealed to everyone.
But then, he can't just say no. The chances of him playing the same notes as the melody he'd created for Ladybug in another song were slim, anyway. He'd just have to be very careful.
"Y- yeah, sure," Adrien replied. He rummaged through the stack of music books on the ground beside the piano to find an appropriate song and came across a lined sheet of paper, labeled "Ladybug's Melody ❤️ ". Adrien's heart skipped a beat, realizing that he'd forgotten that he'd left his unfinished draft for the song in his pile of music books. He faked a cough to cover his tensing up and quickly glanced up at Kagami, who watched him in fascination. She hadn't seemed to have seen it, nor did she notice his moment of panic. Good...