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Kagami didn't want to be here.
"This is an important deal for our company's expansion into France, Kagami," Tomoe Tsurugi reminded her in Japanese. "Be polite with Adrien Agreste."
"Yes, Mother." Kagami would play her role to perfection. Even if it was at the premier of a mediocre movie.
"And if the young Agreste isn't polite I hear he fences at the same school we're enrolling you in."
Kagami didn't smile. No, not at all. And if she did there were no witnesses. "Yes, Mother."
Keeping her usual stoic expression as the parasites, pardon, the paparazzi used flash photography in her face Kagami walked down the red carpet. Arm extended for her Mother.
Gabriel was just as tedious as she imagined him and wearing the ugliest suit Kagami had ever seen. And she'd seen ugly yakuza suits in person. At least Adrien's all black suit was suitable for a family in the fashion industry.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Tsurugi Kagami," the blond boy greeted in heavily accented Japanese. A polite smile on his face as he bowed slightly. "Welcome to Paris. My name is Adorian Aguresuto."
Kagami raised an eyebrow. That didn't sound right.
Eyes widening as he realized his slip up and- Wow, those were expressive eyebrows. -hand going to rub the back of his head as a faint blush painted his cheeks. "I mean Aguresuto Adorian! I, yup..." Suddenly self-conscious Adrien jerked his hand down. Smile nervous but more honest.
Kagami decided to have mercy on him. "Your inflection needs work but the pronunciation is adequate."
His lips twitched. "Adequate?"
"Yes. That is the most accurate description," Kagami stated matter-of-factly.
"Well, then I guess I better ade-quit while I'm ahead," Adrien joked, switching to French.
She could pinpoint the second Adrien noticed what his mouth had said (seemingly without permission) by the way his rosy cheeks went into full bloom. Kagami was fairly certain she was interpreting that expression correctly. "I see why you learned, Japanese."
Apparently deciding her impression of him was already ruined, Adrien forged ahead. "Anime has some impressive puns. I couldn't resist."
Kagami's perfect posture straightened ever so slightly. "Oh? What kind of anime are you interested in?"
Adrien began listing several shonen. Which, honestly, Kagami should have seen coming. At least it included One Piece. Kagami resisted the urge to proclaim the merits of the completely arbitrary power ranking system unprompted. It just fit the story so well and- No! Focus! What was he saying?
"...but right now I'm reading Fruits Basket."
Ooh! Kagami's self control slipped just a little bit. Her eyes might've lit up even. "Yuki is my favorite character."
Adrien beamed at her. "He's amazing! Torhu's my favorite!"
Kagami glanced at a large poster of the movie. Chat Noir displayed prominently with Ladybug. Oh, right. That was a thing. "I would've thought it'd be Kyo"
"Not all catboys are created equal, Kagami," Adrien stated solemnly before breaking into a grin. "He's my second favorite. I just really like Torhu 'cause she's so kind and selfless and..." Adrien paused. Looking down as he fiddled with a silver ring on his finger. "And she's so brave. After losing her mom like that. I really admire her."
Kagami felt she was missing something. She usually felt that with strangers but it was on the tip of her tongue.
Before Kagami could pinpoint why Adrien's appreciation for Honda Tohru felt the way it did Adrien snapped out of whatever he was in. "Anyway, what about you?"
"I relate a lot to Saiki Kusuo. He has trouble understanding people despite being telepathic." Was that too much? It felt like too much.
Apparently not 'cause Adrien's smile was back. The honest one, not the polite one. "Yeah, it's hard to understand people when they don't say what they mean."
Oh, thank you! "What's worse is when they say things they don't mean. It's very confusing."
"Right!? It'd be so much simpler!"
"..." Kagami was supposed to respond here. She was positive that it was expected. But she didn't have anything she felt like adding at the moment. "... So have you read Fullmetal Alchemist?"
Kagami was positive Adrien was restraining himself from vibrating in excitement. She could tell because his eyes were huge and his grin unrestrained. His enthusiasm making her lips form their own smile. Kagami had never met someone her own age she could tolerate, let alone geek out about the differences between anime and manga adaptations.
Most of the other rich kids Kagami knew acted like that ponytailed girl who thought Kagami couldn't see her glaring from across the room. But she wasn't important.
... Actually, there was something Kagami wanted to know. "I hear you fence."
Suddenly shy again Adrien's hand went back to rubbing his neck. "Uh, yeah. Not to brag but I'm the best fencer on the team."
"Not for long."
"Huh?"
"I'll be coming for that top spot, Adrien," Kagami promised.
Adrien's eyes widened, then a competitive gleam sparked in his eyes. "Looking forward to it," he smirked.
In the end the movie was just as mediocre as Kagami thought it would be. Enjoyable sure, if you ignored all the cliches.
"It's even worse on screen!" Adrien proclaimed cheerfully.
Kagami eyed him as they filed out of the theater. "Aren't you the male lead?"
"Against my protests!" He grinned.
"A pleasure doing business with you Madame Tsurugi," Gabriel Agreste's grating voice said from his assistant's tablet. Kagami amused herself by imagining Gabriel was actually that small in person. "Come along now, Adrien."
"Yes, Father." The open expression was gone. Adrien's demeanor immediately subduing at Gabriel's call. Turning towards her, Adrien gave her a small smile- "I look forward to seeing you at school." -and winked with his whole head.
Kagami's cheeks heated up slightly as she returned his smile. "I won't go easy on you."
Adrien frowned. "Well, of course not. That would defeat the entire purpose of dueling."
Kagami's smile grew wider. "Yes. Yes, it would."
She stared at the passing city through the window as they made their way to their new home. Committing the unfamiliar skyline to memory.
"And how was the young Agreste, Kagami?" Tomoe asked. "Was your interaction fruitful?"
Kagami thought about Adrien's predilection for certain manga tropes, how he'd blundered effortlessly past her walls, the clear eagerness Adrien felt at talking to someone else who gets it. He was... endearing. And Kagami wouldn't mind his company again.
"Yes, Mother." Yes, it was.