Love's Perfect Match

"Why are you crouching here?" Damian smiled as he helped her to her feet. "Look at you. Your clothes are all dusty from leaning
on the walls."
Alice stuck her lips into a pout. "I was just worried that something might happen to you, Damian. Didn't Mr. Winthrop scold you or
anything?"
"He didn't say much about me, of course. On top of that, he even helped me to teach those guys a lesson," Damian replied. He
felt a strong sense of pride welling up in his chest when he recalled how majestic and influential his father had seemed earlier. I
have to grow up to become someone like Daddy. That way, I can really protect Alice. When that happens, no one around here
will have the guts to bully Alice.
Alice had no idea what was happening in Damian's mind, so she assumed he was just in a daze after all that had happened. So,
she stuck her hand out to tug on his arm. "Stop thinking about all these things, Damian. Do you want to play with me?"
Damian took a glance at his smartwatch before shaking his head. "Your break time is about to end, and your class starts soon.
You should be back in class by now," he said. Alice did not intend to stay in that boring class to learn boring subjects. "I know
everything that the teacher's teaching now. The way he teaches is really boring, and he always makes me want to sleep."
Damian knew about Alice's capabilities. She had already started with the elementary school syllabus when she was three years
old and completed all the elementary school subjects even though this was only her first year there. She had even started
studying some high school subjects. On the other hand, Damian often seemed lazy and uninterested in his studies. On the
outside, he was much weaker in academics than her.
"Well, understanding the subject doesn't give you the permission to skip classes..." Even though he regularly skipped his own
classes, he didn't want to encourage the same behavior in Alice. She was an obedient and adorable princess in her eyes, and he
couldn't bear to see her do such a thing. His impression of her would change otherwise. "Please, Damian... Pretty please?" She
tugged on his sleeve and swung it from left to right. No one could reject her when she was acting that way. Naturally, Damian,
who had a huge soft spot for this precious young girl, finally gave in to her wishes with an exasperated nod. "Fine. We'll skip
school. Where would you like to go play?"

Alice cheered to herself inwardly. Yes!
"I'd like to collect some seashells by the ocean." Since Alice was a child, her favorite outdoor activity was visiting the beach. To
her, the beach signified one's freedom and relaxation. She enjoyed staring at the clear blue ocean, the seagulls soaring past the
surface of the water, and the shiny and twinkling seashells scattered across the sand. Beyond that, she also enjoyed having
Damian build sand castles with her.
He already had a hunch about her answer, and he let out a sigh after hearing it. "I knew it. Sure. Let's sneak out over the walls."
Alice was skipping school on her second day of classes, and this didn't seem like a good sign. Then again, since it was a new
semester, her teacher couldn't possibly recognize her. Therefore, she wasn't the least bit concerned as she followed Damian out
of the school grounds.
Once they got to the beach, the afternoon sun was still hanging above their heads. It was rather hot that day, and Damian knew
that the heat would make Alice feel rather uncomfortable. So, he hurried over to a nearby store, where he bought her a cup of
watermelon juice. He also asked the lady handling the store to lend him some sunblock. Damian wore a wide grin on his face
and addressed her politely while speaking. Naturally, the girl fell victim to his good looks, and she smiled back while handing him
the sunblock. "How cute of you to take care of your sister like that!"
Damian took the sunblock and the watermelon juice along with him as he left the store. However, he looked around to realize
that Alice was nowhere to be seen. He assumed that the girl was fooling with him and had probably started building a sandcastle
on her own. Yet, after walking around the sandy beaches for a while, he realized that she was nowhere to be found.
As time went on, Damian began to panic. "Alice. Alice!" Damian ran all over the place, but he simply didn't see Alice's figure
anywhere. He was in a state of utter helplessness when an odd-looking man showed up in front of him and flashed him a sly
smile. The man wore a mask over his face that covered more than half his face. However, his smile seemed extremely familiar.
The angle at which his lips were curled up made it clear that this man was just faking a smile. He seems so familiar. I feel like I
know him, or like I've met him in the past. "Are you looking for a young girl?" the man asked.
Damian hastily grabbed the man's sleeves upon hearing his words. The man's arm was terrifyingly skinny—Damian felt as if he
was holding onto bones. The man's other sleeve was empty. "Do you know where she is?"

"Of course, I know where she is. I can even bring you to her, but before that, I'll need you to tell me one thing." Damian was
rather suspicious of the man's words, but this was the only chance he had. "What do you want to know?" Damian asked.
"How is your mom?" The man's voice was raspy, and he hesitated for a long while before he finally produced his simple
question. Damian had no idea what made the man ask such a question, but he nodded obediently. "My mother's doing pretty
well, but who are you? Why do you care about my mother?"
The man simply grinned in response to Damian's words. He no longer questioned anything after that. "Alright. I have my answer.
I'll take you over to the girl." The man led Damian to a rather secluded corner, and Damian quickly noticed a young girl resting
against a tree trunk. Her eyes were closed as though she was just taking a nap. A striped piece of cloth covered her figure, and
her face was nearly obscured by it. It was no wonder that Damian couldn't find her earlier.
That was because she had fallen asleep in such a secluded corner.
Damian's gaze softened at the sight of the girl. He was just about to turn around to thank the man when he realized that the
figure beside him had vanished without a trace. "What an odd man."
Nonetheless, he bent down to give her cheeks a gentle pat.
She mumbled and groaned for a while before waking up.
"What are you doing here, Damian? I couldn't find you for a long while earlier, and then I somehow ended up falling asleep here."
She stretched out her limbs as she drowsily got to her feet. "What exactly happened? What time is it? I'm starving."
He let out a sigh. "I'm not too sure what happened, either. All I know is that a kind man brought me over to you. I think he was the
one who gave you that blanket, too."
"I'll have to thank that kind man, then!" Alice looked around her. "Where did he go?"
"I don't know. He disappeared earlier. Well, since he's gone, we should head home now."

Alice raised her hands, and Damian quickly understood what she meant. He bent himself down, and she swiftly climbed onto his
back. "Time to go home!" she cried.