Damian's Present

Chapter 2: The Carnival

After requesting his driver the location, Damian arrives at the place commoners call 'fun'.

"We're here, sir." Damian's butler informs him, "Is there anything you want from this location, sir?"

"Yes, I just need to get something here."

"Very well then."

Damian steps out of the vehicle and heads to the entrance where he instantly becomes the center of attention by commoners.

"Hey, isn't that Donovan Desmond's son Damian Desmond?"

"Wait, yeah it actually is!"

"What is a socialite like Desmond doing here?"

*Psh, commoners. Always surprised when a big shot goes to their place.* Damian thought to himself, unsurprised.

While looking for stuffed animals, he stumbles upon a stuffed sheep animal which catches the attention of Damian, who is reminded of Anya.

*That stuffed animal kind of looks like Stubby...*

Damian then proceeds to think of Anya as a sheep in his head.

'Sy-on Boy! Baaaaa!'

Damian proceeds to shake his head in disbelief. *Snap out of it Damian!*

Damian proceeds to ask the shop owner how much the stuffed animal costs.

"Hey, how much is that stuffed animal hanging up there?"

"Sorry, little boy. You have to play the game of ring-toss to win this one." The shopkeeper said.

"W-What? Even if I give you 100 dalc you won't get me this?"

"Unlucky you, because I'm not fazed by bribes, young man."

Already getting to his nerves, Damian had no choice but to play the game. "Fine, I'll play your stupid game."

What the carnival shopkeeper didn't know, was that Damian had good accuracy and was able to score a lot of points, gaining the attention of a crowd.

"Co-Congratulations, young man! You win the stuffed doll!"

*Yes! I've done it. Time to give this to Stubby Legs tomorrow.*

But before he leaves, he overhears the opinions of commoners around him.

"Wow, isn't he a talented young man?"

"Yeah, as expected of a Desmond. The most powerful family of Ostania."

"You got that right. His father must be real proud of him."

Damian overhears the commoner, and now he can't get the words "Proud of him." out of his head.

*If only these people knew how hard it was to gain the approval of your own father.* Damian thought to himself. *Dad wouldn't care about me even if I became an Imperial Scholar. What's the point?*

While walking home, he sees a dad and his son having a fun time at the carnival, with the dad carrying him by his back and seemed to have a good time.

"Hehe, higher, Dad!" The boy exclaimed.

"I can't go any higher in this position, son!" The dad jokingly replied while both laughed.

Damian later sighed, *If only my dad took me to a place like this...*

"Is everything alright, sir?" Damian's concerned butler asks.

"Y-Yes, sir. I'm fine. Nothing to worry about..."

Taking the stuffed animal with him to the car, he looks at the animal in the eyes, instantly reminding him of that one girl he likes.

*Come on, Damian! Why are you even doing this!?* Damian thought, *A Desmond should be focusing on work. To gain Dad's approval!*

Damian later has a moment to think what he just said, realizing not everything is about studying.

*Well, if it's for Stubby Legs...I wouldn't mind.*

Damian later takes the ride home and arrives at Eden where he sleeps at the dorm, taking the stuffed animal with him.

"Good evening, Boss-man!" Emile and Ewen greet in unison

"Good evening, you two."

The two blondies then realize he brought a stuffed animal with him.

"Uh, Boss-man? Why do you have a stuffed animal with you?" Ewen asks.

"Hm? Oh, I won it at some carnival."

"A carnival? What was Boss-man doing in some commoner's playground!?" A shocked Emile questions him.

"N-Nothing! I figured I just wanted to try some 'commoner' stuff every once and a while and not focus on trying to be an Imperial Scholar." Damian replies, while blushing because he was supposed to give this to a special someone.

Ewen and Emile look at each other, confused but both decided to not mind it and just went with the flow. "Okay, Boss-man, whatever you say." Ewen said.

NIGHT TIME

As Damian prepares to go to bed, he looks at the ceiling, thinking of Anya and her idiotic moments. From getting a question wrong with confidence, to sleeping in class, to eating omurice with a grain of her rice on her face. All the moments Anya had which Damian thought was funny.

But, something inside him was beating loud, as he proceeds to think of the time she apologized to him which was also the moment he started to fall for her.

*My hostility towards her changed, huh?* Damian thought to himself.

His heart started beating faster, as all he could think of was her in typical shoujo filter.

'Sy-on boy! Sy-on boy! Sy-onnn boy!!!!'

*There's something about her that's...special...* Damian thinks to himself, *She's an idiot...but she's a good idiot...*

He proceeds to chuckle to himself while thinking of Anya while rolling in his bed, causing Ewen and Emile to be concerned in their respective beds.

*B-Bossman!? Are you okay!?* Both said in unison in their thoughts.

END OF CHAPTER OF 2