Dwayne: "...Eh?"
Dwayne looked dumbfounded, his brown peach blossom eyes rounder than before. With the morning sunshine on the horizon, his eyes seemed brighter, reflecting an innocent glow.
So this is the side task?
Dwayne weighed his options. Would he succeed?
He glanced at the scary man, who was a foot taller than him—no, maybe a bit more. Dwayne could only reach his shoulder, and the man's eyes were cold as ice.
Raven seemed to notice his gaze, looking up seconds after Dwayne secretly took a glimpse of him.
Caught, Dwayne felt embarrassed and quickly looked away.
Meanwhile, Zack noticed Dwayne was deep in thought. This was good. He knew this cute fella hated taking exams, so he had deliberately mentioned being exempted.
Now look, little Dwayne was trying to consider doing it. Zack poked Professor Richard at the side, throwing meaningful glances at Dwayne.
As if saying, 'Professor, help me convince Dwayne here.'
Professor Richard cleared his throat and patted Dwayne's shoulder.
"Augustus, you were my student in Arithmetic, right? The participants of the contest are already exempt from the exam next week. But if you do this favor for our IT department, I can also exempt you from finals for the entire semester."
Dwayne's mouth dropped open. He swiftly grabbed Professor Richard's hand, his eyes sparkling.
"Really, Professor?!"
Professor Richard chuckled. "Oh, yes. And if you win the contest, I'll talk to the other teachers to exempt you as well."
Raven, watching the scene, couldn't take his eyes off Dwayne's face. He still wanted to stay a little longer… but he knew he couldn't.
With one last look, he turned around and walked away, leaving the small child who shone brightly despite being surrounded by people.
These coincidental encounters should remain just that—coincidental.
No further interaction should be involved…
Raven's retreating figure suddenly stopped. He felt something tugging faintly at his clothes, right at the forearm. The strength applied was light, as if it was okay for him to ignore it and continue walking without looking back.
But the image of that cute child with big, teary eyes tugged at his heart. He knew that child would pout and tightly hug the kitten doll in his arms, as if about to cry.
"Big brother—"
When Raven turned around, that small, fleeting voice echoed in his head.
The small, cute child in his memories had grown.
"Mister…"
His voice had changed too.
"Mister, can you… uhm… will you stay to watch the contest?"
But the expectation in his voice and the way he looked at Raven, filled with hope, was still the same.
The frost in Raven's eyes started to melt. His expression remained indifferent, but a faint softness appeared in his eyes, difficult to detect.
Slowly, Raven nodded.
"Then, will you… uhm, can you support me?" Dwayne asked, his face beet red. His heart pounded loudly in his chest.
The scary man was about to leave!
He couldn't let him go!
The side task said he must win the contest with this man's support. Even though his heart was about to explode from the loud pounding, Dwayne had no choice but to be shameless!
He just told himself this man wasn't a bad person.
Earlier, he asked the seniors to put me down. He must have noticed I was uncomfortable being carried like that in public!
So he should be a good person! He even listen to my ramblings in the car before.
Beneath his loud heartbeat, Dwayne heard the faint "hmm" from the man before him.
Dwayne looked up and met the man's deep gray eyes that seemed to peer into his soul. Out of nervousness, he moved away and laughed sheepishly.
"Uh—uhm, thank you very much! I promise I'll do my best." Dwayne let go of the man's sleeve and hastily bowed.
His smile grew wider as he silently squealed inside. He didn't notice the small curl in his hair bouncing and flipping as his small head bobbed up and down.
Seeing that small curl, Raven's fingers twitched.
All grown up, but still as energetic as a child.
Dwayne was the first to leave with the other seniors, leaving Raven and Professor Richard behind.
"So unusual for you to promise your support," Professor Richard laughed lightly.
"Mm," Raven was still watching Dwayne's retreating back. Noticing his stare, Professor Richard frowned.
"Do you know him? Augustus, I mean?"
Cole answered. "We met the young boy yesterday. We almost ran him down with the car after he tried to cross on a red light just to save a cat."
Professor Richard was surprised. "Heavens! Was he hurt?"
Cole shook his head. "No, he's fine from what I could see."
That's when Professor Richard noticed this man had appeared out of nowhere without him noticing.
"Sir, the president of YN Corporation wants to move the meeting from this afternoon to tomorrow evening," Cole promptly reported.
"And why?"
"He said he needs to attend his granddaughter's graduation later."
Raven walked away with an impassive face. "If he can't make it, then there's no need to continue with the cooperation."
"Wait, Raven!" Professor Richard caught up to the man's long stride and patted his shoulder.
"The activity center is that way."
Professor Richard was still smiling when he patted Raven, forgetting one important thing—Raven didn't like to be touched.
Raven looked over his shoulder, and the Professor hastily withdrew his hand. Not daring to let his hand stray to a certain someone's shoulder.
"Mm."
Meanwhile, Dwayne was staring blankly at the designated spot where he was supposed to sit.
According to Senior Zack, in this contest, there was no need to smile on stage or introduce yourself like in a typical pageant. All he needed to do was sit in the designated tent designed by the IT department, and people would pass by him.
If they liked him or the concept, they would go to the voting machine at the side and send money. It was quite simple and peaceful.
He liked it... but how on earth is the design of this tent so...?