Shell Game | Miraculous Guardians Book 1

Chapter 13: Kairos Infinitum

"Nino? Hey, Nino, you with me, boy?"

Rena snapped her fingers in front of his face and he jerked back to stare at her with enormous eyes. Slowly he took in her full orange and white suit, complete with a tail and furry orange ears, and then to her eyes, large brown pools of concern and genuine fear.

There was no way.

She couldn't be.

Marinette and Adrien were already...Alya couldn't...could she? Surely all three of his best friends couldn't be superheroes...

...right?

"Nino?" Rena said again, this time with more worry in her tone. She reached out to touch him again, but he winced away from her gloved hand and she hesitated, drawing back slightly. "Nino?"

"A-alya?" he forced out through a pained gasp. "Is it...is that you?"

She smiled gently. "Yes, my sweet clueless boy. It's me."

"But I...don't under...stand. You're...you're Rena Rouge? And...you...didn't...tell me?"

For a moment, doubt clouded her vision and Nino instantly wanted to say something else, to bring a smile back to her face, but the look was gone as quickly as it had come, replaced with solid determination instead. "Come on," she directed, looping her arms into his and pulling him to his feet with inhuman strength. "We've got to get you fixed up and transformed. Ladybug and Chat Noir need our help."

Nino winced again, focusing fully on getting his legs to hold his weight. "Wait...how did you--"

"Honestly, I don't think you could have been more obvious," Alya huffed as the earth shook again. "That shockwave? Clearly from your kwami. He's under your hat isn't he?" She immediately looked up, causing Nino to instinctively grab for the cap and hold it more firmly in place and smile nervously.

She knows, she knows. ABORT, MISSION! ABORT! ABORT! Nino's mind screeched, even as he carefully chose his next words in the effort to misdirect her and felt Wayzz tense worriedly. "O-of c-course not! I-I'm not a superhero! But...if you're...Rena Rouge..."

"Take your time, turtle boy," Alya snarked as they reached the end of the hall and she carefully peered around the corner toward the gymnasium. "Choose your words."

Nino swallowed hard, struggling to focus as the floor continued to shake beneath him. "I-if you're R-Rena Rouge...oh my goodness, that makes so much more sense now."

"Care to share with the rest of the class?" One of her ears flicked irritably as the faint sounds of fighting drifted along the corridors. Marinette and Adrien must have already transformed and arrived to start the battle.

"That's why you...I-I mean Rena...didn't show up that day against Anansi!" Nino stammered. "M--Ladybug had to come and get me...I-I mean Carapace!...because you were in danger!"

"Yes, I remember. I was there." Alya twirled her flute, thoughtfully pondering her next action. "Nino, how fast can you transform?"

So, clearly, there was no getting through to her that he wasn't a superhero. The gig was up. "Uh...fast?" Nino blinked, peering around her to catch a glimpse of Adrien as he darted past the door, Cataclysm already active. "But what I don't get is how you knew Wayzz's shellter! He said no one should have been able to recognize it! And on a more important note: if you already knew, how long have you known that I was Carapace?"