Marinette overslept again the next morning due to her not being able to fall asleep. She was starting to feel guilty about quitting. Chat Noir had seemed as if he was going to cry on the news the previous evening. If she'd been slacking off before and leaving all the work to her partner, giving up entirely and leaving was probably worse. But it was a choice she'd had to make. She couldn't handle it anymore.

She nudged Alya once at school (ten minutes late) and asked, "What'd I miss?"

"Not much," shrugged Alya. "Just attendance, announcements, and the plan for today. Unless of course you're asking what you missed yesterday, in which case, Ladybug's gone. I'll explain later."

"Gone?" Marinette asked with false surprise. "Yeah. You're going to have to explain. That's big news."

"Yeah. I really don't know what to make of it." Alya said sadly. "But I'll spill after class."

"Girls," Madame Bustier scolded. "I know you've got a lot to say, but can it wait until after class is over?"

Alya and Mari nodded.

"Thank you. You too, Rose, Juleka." The teacher set down her tablet. "Look, kids, I know you're all upset about the whole Ladybug thing, but please just try to focus. You might be scared too, but she'll be back. And until then, Chat Noir will take very good care of us."

Adrien flinched. "But what if he gives up too? What if he can't do it without Ladybug? They're a team." He said gloomily.

Marinette stared down at her hands. The class was really sending her on a guilt trip.

Nino put a hand on Adrien's shoulder. "Don't worry, dude. He wouldn't do that. Chat Noir's cool. He'll be true to his word and protect us. He's brave, he's smart, and he wouldn't leave us unprotected."

Adrien smiled weakly. "I sure hope so."

"See," Madame Bustier smiled reassuringly. "It'll be okay. Now can we please get started on the lesson? We don't have all day."

The class sighed and pulled out their pencils, ready for another miserable day of schooling.