Miraculous: Tales of Rena Rouge and Carapace

Chapter 4

"Would you mind if I went and checked on my girlfriend?" Carapace asked.

Chat raised his eyebrows. "It's the one night of the month that we get to patrol together, and you want to go check on your girlfriend?"

Carapace internally crushed himself for being so inconsiderate to Chat. "I'm sorry. I was just worried, because she had a tendency to get into trouble. I was just going to check quick."

Chat twitched his whiskers and grinned. "Nah, it's fine. How about I meet you outside of the Louvre?"

Carapace grinned. "Thanks."

"What are friends for?"

"Letting their kwaamis eat all your food?"

Chat grinned and disappeared.

***

He would feel creepy looking in Alya's window, he decided, but it wasn't like he could knock on her front door and ask to see her.

He quickly scanned the street around him. Would any one notice if he de-transformed?

Yes. A girl with headphones was turning the corner, a man in a pale blue suit sat on a bench, and a group of kids were hiking in figure eights. It was too risky. Someone was bound to notice one of Paris's superheroes.

As the girl with headphones walked closer, Carapace suddenly realized that it was Alya. She was staring at him with raised eyebrows.

"I just wanted to check if you were okay." Carapace said, when she reached him.

She frowned. "How do you know where I live? You dropped me off at the corner, remember?"

"Well..." Carapace searched for an excuse. "The box says your name."

"I didn't tell you my last name." Alya said. "You know me!"

"I don't think-"

"But who are you? Are you in my class?"

"If I told you, it kind of wouldn't be a secret anymore."

"True. Could I get an interview for the Ladyblog? Just a few short questions?"

Carapace sighed. The Ladyblog had been growing in popularity, as Paris's superheroes began to give more interviews. Especially Rena Rouge. Rena was on the Ladyblog all the time.

"Sure. About Ladybug?"

"Not entirely. First of all, how do you and Rena Rouge get along?"

"Like siblings." Carapace said. "Or angry cats."

She glanced up, a slight smile on her face, and wrote his comment down. "Okay, so do you and Rena always work separately from Ladybug and Chat, or do you work together?"

"Depends on how many akumas there are. We don't always work separately."

"How did you decide the pairs?"

"Chat and Ladybug have been working together for a long time. Besides, only Ladybug can de-evilise akumas, and only I can hold them in my bag."

"My final question is actually about your bag... is it a purse?"

He scowled. "No! It's not!"

"Okay!" She held her hands up, smiling. "So, see you at school tomorrow?"

"Yep. I mean, no!" He cursed himself for falling for her journalist skills.

She smiled triumphantly. "All I needed to hear. Bye, Carapace!"

***

Alya scanned the rows of students. "I can't figure out who Carapace is." She complained to her best friend, Marinette.

"Given up on Ladybug and Chat Noir?"

"No way! But I'm really close to finding out who Carapace is. I can almost taste it."

"What about Rena Rouge?"

"I- I don't know. I don't think that she goes to this school."

"Maybe I'll talk to Adrien. Did you know he's really into super heroes too?"

"Yeah."

"Oh yeah, I forgot. You're a stalker." Alya teased. Marinette giggled guiltily. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to talk about my gorgeous best friend Marinette."

"Thanks Alya." Marinette said.

"What are friends for?"

Alya glanced at the clock. There was still five minutes until the bell. "Hey, Adrian." She whispered.

He turned. "Alya. What's up?"

"Can I talk to you?"

"Sure." He stood up. "So." He whispered. "Is this about Ladybug?"

"No, Carapace. I'm trying to figure out who he is."

"Oh. Do you have any ideas?"

"He goes to this school." Alya whispered. "He knew me!"

"When were you talking to Carapace?" Adrian asked.

"He took me home a few days ago, after the akuma attack. And he came to check on me last night."

"Last night?"

"Yeah, he showed up in front of my house. But I never told him which house was mine. And he knew my last name. He's totally in our class!"

Adrian was zoning out.

"Would you mind if I went and checked on my girlfriend?" Carapace asked.

Chat raised his eyebrows. "It's the one night of the month that we get to patrol together, and you want to go check on your girlfriend?"

Carapace had only taken half an hour. Enough time to talk to Alya and then meet someone else? Probably not.

Which meant that Carapace's girlfriend was Alya.

Which meant that Carapace was Nino.

Which meant that Adrien's goofy best friend was a superhero.