As the car drove out of the neighborhood, Raven's eyes never left Dwayne's house.
That child…
He hasn't changed. He was still a chatterbox.
It seems only his height had grown slightly, but the brightness in his eyes and the short curls on his head were still the same.
Raven turned off the tablet and leaned against the car seat.
Meeting the boy only brought back bad memories.
And the once in a lifetime glimpse of happiness.
.
.
The next morning, Dwayne stepped out of his house to find a bike, but it wasn't his.
"Aaah!" he screamed halfway.
His neighbor across the street, a middle-aged woman watering her plants, heard him stop mid-scream and frowned with concern.
"Dwayne, is everything okay?"
Dwayne was still stunned. Under the early morning sunlight, his eyes sparkled. Even though one of his hands covered his nose and mouth, his brilliant eyes were hard to miss. The woman couldn't help but be charmed by the cuteness of this child.
"You be careful, okay? It would be very painful if you accidentally tripped on the grass. I tripped once a few years ago, and it took months before the pain in my lower back subsided."
"Ye–Yes, Mrs. Laura. I'll be careful!" Dwayne replied with an awkward laugh. Seeing that this kind woman seemed to misunderstood why he shouted.
But Mrs. Laura didn't notice the awkwardness in his voice, all she saw was the refreshing, cute face of the young man first thing in the morning.
Ah, what a beautiful morning indeed. Mrs. Laura sighed and nodded in satisfaction. She waved goodbye to Dwayne and went back inside her house.
Meanwhile, Dwayne hurriedly tiptoed to his gate and unlocked it. The bike parked and padlocked in front of his gate wasn't his. Judging by its clean, unscratched appearance, it was brand new.
Dwayne bit his lip.
Did they buy me a new bike?! I have to return it!
He bolted back inside and went straight to his laundry basket, hoping to find the secretary's business card. But after a few seconds, he stopped moving.
"Ah… I didn't accept it."
"Stupid me." Dwayne swallowed nervously. He had adamantly refused to take the secretary's business card. At that time, he wanted to show he didn't need any compensation.
He was fine. The car didn't hit him, so why would he shamelessly ask for money?
Speaking of money, he just couldn't accept this bike. It looked so expensive. His own bike was only second-hand, bought at a lower price. The more Dwayne thought about it, the more his conscience gnawed at him. He certainly couldn't accept this. It was too much! They had already given him a ride home. Now this…
How could he return it if he didn't have their contact information?
A blue screen suddenly appeared in front of Dwayne, startling him out of his thoughts.
"Ahh? Matchmaker System? You can appear as a text screen now?"
[Yes.]
[Host, make sure to use the bike when you head to your university. Once there, a side task will be triggered.]
Almost instantly, the worry and guilt vanished from Dwayne's innocent face, replaced by a gleeful smile full of delight.
"Really? What type of side task? Will there be rewards?"
[Yes?]
The Matchmaker System had a bad feeling.
"Will it help me in my studies too? Like helping me secure my scholarship?"
[...]
The Matchmaker System didn't want to say anything at this point.
"Will it? Not only will my memory be sharpened, but it can also make me even smarter?"
[...]
"Maybe I'll become a Dean's lister? Top student of the university? Ahhh, I can't wait!"
[Huh?]
How did you reach that conclusion?
"I'll take a bath first and then go!"
Dwayne dashed straight to the bathroom, came out within ten minutes, and went upstairs to change. With his hair still dripping wet, he packed his bags, checked that everything was turned off, and then pedaled his way to the university.
"Matchmaker System?"
[Yes?]
"I promise I'll do my best to fulfill the missions and side tasks," Dwayne cheerfully said.
The warm sun brushed against his soft, tousled brown hair, making him even more pleasant to look at. His eyes crinkled into a smile. The Matchmaker System wanted to say something—that these side tasks would involve that man— that they would always cross paths.
But in the end, it said nothing and let Dwayne merrily hum to himself.
When Dwayne arrived at the bike parking lot, he was greeted by the kind senior who had recommended him for the part-time job at the café.
"Hi, Senior!" When their eyes met, he waved at her.
Her eyes widened. "Dwayne is here!!!" she called out.
Suddenly, students from different year levels swarmed from every corner, trapping the clueless Dwayne beside his bike. The soft curls on his head quivered as he backed away in nervousness.
"Senior, what's the meaning of this?"
"Hehe, Augustus, don't be nervous. We just need you to come with us," said the tallest man in the middle as he led the others to surround Dwayne.
"To where?"
"You see, today is Sports Day. Each department has to present a school beauty in a contest."
Dwayne's eyes widened in horror.
"This school year, you are our beauty!" the tallest senior said with an evil smile.
"No!!!"
Dwayne immediately turned around and bolted, but it seemed these seniors were familiar with his escape tactics. They swarmed like bees around the little flower that was Dwayne. Someone grabbed his arms on both sides, but his little feet still struggled to escape. Having no choice, they lifted him up and carried him away.
"Aaahhhh!!! Seniors, please put me down!!!"
As they walked into the school yard, heading toward the school field behind the four buildings, Dwayne didn't stop screaming for help from the other students. His cries attracted the attention of a man in a black suit and the professor beside him.
The group approached the professor.
"Hello Sir, good morning!" They greeted.
The professor seemed to be used seeing this scene.