I Will Not Get Involved, No Matter How They Cry
Leaving the Agreste Manor, Marinette laments the sheer unfairness of it all: what's she supposed to do against somebody who can leap through time? Why can't Timebreaker just leave her alone?! After everything she did, how hard she fought for the last two years, why can't anyone respect the fact she's retired?! Why can't they handle their own problems for once, instead of forcing her back into the fight?
All Luka can offer her at that moment is a hug, as he reflects back on all the times he's felt helpless due to Miraculous powers. Such as when he witnessed his mother being swept off by a bubble, screaming all the way, or discovered his sister had been akumatized and couldn't even reach where she was, much less save her. He can't recall his time as Silencer; those memories are blurry, but he recalls the relief he'd felt after Ladybug purified him, and how he strove to avoid being akumatized again by learning various ways to manage his negative emotions.
Assisting her as Viperion — knowing that she trusted him enough to request his help against various villains — proved to be some of the happiest moments of his life. Breaking up with Marinette was one of the worst, enough to get him akumatized again despite his resolve... yet she saved him again. And recalling the smile Ladybug wore, realizing with retrospect that she was bottling up her own pain in order to protect him and everyone else...
After receiving her letter, he'd raced to her apartment only to find she'd already followed through with her plans, leaving her dazed and baffled by the massive gaps torn through the last two years of her memories. He'd been helping her navigate ever since, piecing the scraps back together as they rekindled their relationship. And he's not about to abandon her now.
Prompted to tell him about Alix, Marinette starts rattling off all her best traits, until he teases her: is she trying to convince him to date her, here? No, he wants to know her weaknesses, and listing those off helps Marinette regain some of her confidence. They've handled Miraculous-powered opponents before; they dealt with Hawkmoth and Mayura, and they can deal with Bunnyx... right?
Back on the Liberty, the pair settle down with some tea to calm down and start brainstorming. It's clear that Alix won't stop harassing them until she gets what she wants; thanks to her time traveling, this isn't going to be easy. They need to outthink her, outsmart her. Reflecting back on their movements throughout the day, they note how Alix was pulling strings to direct them around — using Chloe to send the Mayor their way, leading them to visit the Place des Vosges, then the Louvre, where Marinette suspects the exhibit was set up not by Mr. Kubdel, but his daughter. Hence the emphasis on Ladybugs who met their end after being betrayed by those closest to them... signaling that the new Ladybug isn't invincible, and suggesting that, as somebody who likely knew her successor, Marinette was meant to 'betray' and take her down.
From there, she guided them towards Alya and Adrien, with the latter inadvertently making clear that the Order of the Guardians isn't going to save them. As for why she left all the lapine hints to reveal her involvement? She doesn't want them distracted hunting for the rumormonger any longer. She wants them to focus on taking out the new Ladybug.
Still, Luka can't help wondering: why isn't she handling things herself? If she's so concerned about the successor, why didn't she just pop in and visit Marinette before she retired? Or handle Hawkmoth herself, for that matter? Marinette explains that their adversary is likely trying to avoid causing any time paradoxes, forcing her to act subtly.
...Relatively, anyway. As she abruptly realizes that contrary to their initial assumption, Anarka wasn't the one who left this tea out for them. Apparently it was none other than Bunnyx, who left them a 'calling card' in the form of a kwagatama symbol on the bottom of the teapot. Luka panics at this, but Marinette suspects this is actually a good sign, and leaves Luka to go look something up.
While he waits, Luka sorts out his thoughts by writing out a timeline of recent events, along with three questions: Who is the new Ladybug?, Who is the new Chat Noir?, and Why did Hawkmoth change his akumas? His contemplation of his newly penned notes is interrupted by Juleka's return. His sister is acting even more withdrawn than usual, and reveals that she knows Marinette dislikes her — she overheard her referring to her as 'Reflekta', and fears that she must have done something horrible to her while akumatized.
In fact, she's estranged from everyone else left in their class. With Alix stuck in time until Hawkmoth is dealt with, Chloe and Adrien being homeschooled, Lila studying at the embassy, Alya pulled out following that scandalous akuma battle and Nino moving away, their classroom feels so much emptier... and Marinette keeps to herself, only speaking when addressed and ending conversations quickly. That same kind of tension contributed to Kitty Section breaking up, as well; while Luka couldn't see it, the rest of the band could tell she wasn't happy with them spending so much time together.
She even asks him outright what he's going to do when Marinette asks him to choose between the two of them. After regathering his wits, Luka gently explains that doing so would be abusive, and he'd break things off immediately. Just like how he wouldn't tolerate Juleka ordering him not to spend any time with his friends. Tearfully, she apologizes for her somber mood; she just hasn't been able to shake the sense that Paris and everyone in it is doomed. While the old Ladybug motivated most people to try changing for the better — not everyone, but most — the new one seems to bring out the worst by encouraging everyone's dependence upon her to 'save the day'.
Juleka also reveals that some folks — namely Kagami and Socqueline — been trying to put together an anti-Ladybug resistance, aiming to expose her corruption. While she'd previously joined Nino's 'Sauce Secret Society' to fight Hawkmoth, she turned down an offer to join the new group, afraid of how her family might be hurt if she got caught. As she laments being stuck with this spurious successor, wondering "What did we do to deserve this?", Luka can only swallow his tongue, unwilling to break Marinette's confidence.
Still, he reassures his sister as best he can... and after she leaves, some of her words stick with him. Looking for what isn't there. What if the key lies not in what happened over the last six months, but what didn't happen? Following that line of thought, he puts together some theories about the identities of the new protectors of Paris, while Marinette returns from her errand carrying a note of her own. A letter with her own handwriting, left at the former tea shop of one Wang Fu, who shut down his business after being struck with a strange bout of amnesia.
Comparing Luka's notes to her own, Marinette affirms that his theory about the new Ladybug matches what's suggested by her letter. She's not so certain about the part regarding Chat Noir, but admits it seems plausible, if a bit far-fetched. Still, she's ready to try contacting their prime suspect, and arrange a meeting at the Eiffel Tower... where she intends to put a decisive end to all this.
In her letter to Luka, Marinette noted that she could fill pages up with all the reasons why she needed to retire. But ultimately, she shouldn't have to. She'd given Paris all she could, and it was never enough. Not for its citizens, its leaders, her so-called friends... and after giving so much for so long, she has nothing left to offer.
She can only wonder how long they expected her to last without so much as a shred of support. But she's found a new Ladybug who will give them all exactly what they demanded. And if they eventually decide that's not what they wanted after all, well, that will be their problem to deal with. She refuses to get involved, no matter how they might cry.
This chapter contains examples of:
- Adults Are Useless: Ms. Bustier averted this for a while, making an effort to help her students learn how to manage their emotions through yoga and other practices related to increasing their mindfulness. Unfortunately, Principal Damocles played it straight by putting a stop to this.
- Armor-Piercing Question:
- When Marinette repeatedly refers to Bunnyx as 'Timebreaker', Luka asks whether they know she's been akumatized, suggesting she could just be using her miraculous. Marinette pauses before correcting herself and calling her Alix instead.
- Juleka all but floors her brother when she quietly asks him: "When Marinette asks you to choose between her and me, what are you going to say?"
- Luka's also thrown when Juleka wonders "Why did we get stuck with [the new Ladybug]? What did we do to deserve it?"
- Be Careful What You Wish For: In her letter to Luka, Marinette declares that the successor she's chosen will be precisely the sort of hero Paris wanted her to be. And if they come to decide that's not what they wanted after all, too bad. It's not her problem anymore.
- "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: Discussed. Luka notes that Alix could have simply paid Marinette a visit before she retired/passed over the Earrings and avoided the whole scenario. Or, for that matter, gone back even further and taken care of Hawkmoth herself. Marinette notes that the latter isn't really possible due to the threat of time paradoxes.
- Dirty Coward: Juleka regards herself as this since she was too intimidated to join the anti-Ladybug resistance movement.
- Exact Eavesdropping: Juleka learned about Marinette's disdain for her when she texted her and heard Marinette's phone buzz nearby... followed by Marinette muttering to herself "Time to see what Reflekta wants now."
- Foil:
- Luka's reflections upon his past experiences with akumas and Miraculouses note that he actively worked to avoid getting akumatized after the Silencer incident. This contrasts sharply with certain other victims, such as Mister Ramier, and underscores his respect for Ladybug and desire not to burden her any more than he already had.
- This also mirrors Adrien and his insistence that Su-Han's teachings have helped him learn emotional control... despite all evidence to the contrary. While Luka was inspired by Ladybug and wanted to support her in this small way, Adrien remains entirely self-serving, latching onto the idea of 'mastering his emotions' as a way to avoid dealing with the consequences of his actions. Adrien is also arrogant and Holier Than Thou regarding his supposed self-control, while Luka is humble and credits Ladybug/Marinette for inspiring his growth.
- Foreshadowing: After retrieving her second letter, Marinette remarks that she no longer believes Bunnyx was the one who left the tea out, suggesting that Alix isn't the only one capable of messing with time. This hints at how the matter gets resolved in the following chapter.
- Internal Reveal: Juleka informs Luka of just how estranged Marinette has grown from the rest of her classmates and former friends, and that the main reason Kitty Section broke up was because she, Rose and Ivan could tell how much she disliked them.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: People who have been akumatized don't have any real memories of what they did while under Hawkmoth's influence. This fuels Juleka's fear that she might have done something horrible to Marinette as Reflekta.
- Malicious Misnaming:
- Luka gently redirects Marinette away from calling Alix 'Timebreaker' by noting that she doesn't seem to have been akumatized this time around, and is likely using her Miraculous instead.
- Juleka accidentally overheard Marinette referring to her as 'Reflekta', making her hyperaware of how distant her former friend has grown and terrified that she did something horrible to her while akumatized.
- Parental Hypocrisy: Referenced; one of the things that used to set Luka off was his mother punishing him for breaking rules that he knew she hadn't followed when she was his age.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons:
- While speculating about the life support pod they found in the manor, Marinette determines that Alix likely wasn't responsible for its presence; Gabriel was rich enough to afford such things. However, she speculates that he got it for himself after learning about how he was Secretly Dying.
- After overhearing Marinette bitterly referring to her as Reflekta, Juleka is terrified that she did something unforgivable to her friend while she was akumatized. She isn't aware that Marinette used to be Ladybug, or how that's fueling her resentment of her and the rest of Paris.
- Tempting Fate: While trying to comfort Juleka, Luka remarks on how Ms. Bustier has been helping her students even after their numbers have been whittled down. Juleka bitterly reveals that Principal Damocles put an end to her lessons, dismissing them as 'whiny yoga'.
- The Villain Knows Where You Live: Luka is freaked out by the realization that Bunnyx left them the tea they found on the Liberty, not his mother, seeing it as an implied threat or mockery. Later Averted when Marinette suggests that Bunnyx wasn't responsible after all.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Luka reassures his sister of this, and that contrary to her fears, Marinette and Adrien aren't better than her or the rest of their class simply because both have avoided being akumatized.
