Just two more hours, and the contest would conclude.
Maybe they're excited because of the votes, Dwayne thought.
He smiled and watched as Zack sauntered back to Lila's side, happily putting his arm around her shoulders.
Dwayne sat back beside the cats and continued to play with their fluffy bellies. The thought about the side task completely slipped his mind.
After two hours, the sound of trumpet was heard, confirming that the contest has conclude. Lila excitedly jumped in and pulled Dwayne to his feet. The other seniors took the two white cats and the kitten away. Dwayne was confused as to why Lila was pulling him out of the tent toward the stage.
The other contestants were looking at him with obvious envy in their eyes, which made Dwayne even more confused.
"Senior, why are they looking at us?" he asked.
"Don't mind them," she said, comforting him. Once they arrived at the stage, the updated poll was displayed on the screen. The first place name was highlighted, and Dwayne's mouth hung wide open.
It was his name in first place, and the number of points he had received was more than a million.
"The winner of this year's department beauty contest is…" A woman from the communication department took a microphone and stood at the center of the stage.
She was wearing a white gown that shaped her body, and her hair was elegantly bound in a bun, making her look even more stunning. Her large black eyes turned to Dwayne as she announced,
"It's Dwayne Augustus from the IT Department! Everyone, let's give him a round of applause!"
Everyone's attention turned to Dwayne, making him freeze on the spot. He stared dumbly at the woman on the stage without moving an inch.
Lila seemed to understand his nervousness, so she guided him up and whispered comforting words in his ear, just to make sure he wouldn't be afraid to face the crowd.
During the awarding process, Dwayne's head was in the clouds. He could not focus on what was being said because the amount of more than a million points was too overwhelming for him to process.
The awarding went smoothly, and the portion of money he was supposed to receive would be given to him tomorrow.
When it was the time for 'Free to request' portion, the woman hosting the program gestured to the person in charge to reveal the list.
The audience was extremely curious and have been looking forward to know who it was.
But before they can display the name, Professor Richard stopped her. He came up to the stage and whispered something to her.
She smiled in understanding and informed the crowd that due to the identity of the top supporter, their name could not be revealed publicly. They were also no longer on the premises, so there was no need to make the request.
This sparked even more curiosity among the crowd, and the online school forum buzzed with heated discussions about the mysterious rich supporter.
The top thread for discussion was a post from one of the students analyzing the identity of Dwayne's supporter.
"I think it's one of the guests who were invited to the opening program earlier," was the first line of the post.
"Because it wouldn't make sense if it was one of the students who voted. Firstly, no one would spend a million just for a single contestant and then refuse to reveal themselves during the 'Free to request' portion. Second, Professor Richard knew this person. We already know that Professor Richard has connections with many successful alumni. Earlier, it could be seen that Professor Richard came up to the stage and stopped Mia, the host, from revealing the name of Dwayne's top supporter."
"And since they were no longer present to watch the end of the contest, this means the 'guest' who voted for Dwayne didn't do it because they particularly liked him, but rather to donate to the school and support the activities. They probably chose Dwayne on a whim, maybe because they saw him first or something like that. Anyway, these are my hypotheses. Congratulations to the IT department! Dwayne was the right choice for their department's beauty contest. Watching him was very refreshing, and he is really adorable!"
In the comments, people agreed with the original poster.
"I think so too."
"There were seven of them invited to give speeches at the program."
"Yes, and the most unexpected was Mr. McGarden. Who would have thought Professor Richard could invite the CEO of one of the richest IT companies on a global scale?"
"Did you see the CEO of Vermillion Garden Corporation? I couldn't believe my eyes!"
"Me too! He was such a hottie. I couldn't stop staring at him."
"He was sitting at the front, in the far corner, and really stood out. He was so tall and had long legs. Just seeing him made my heart flutter. I couldn't focus on anything else because all my attention was on him."
The discussions continued. With the mention of the special invited guests, the speculation about Dwayne's supporter quieted down, shifting instead to Raven, who had caught the audience's attention, especially the women.
Time passed quickly, and it was already close to Dwayne's shift for his part-time job. But he couldn't leave the hallway inside the IT department building. All the students were gathering around him, giving him sashes, showering him with sprinkles, and forcing him to stand at the center of the group as they cheered.
It was the first beauty contest win for the IT department and also the first time in the contest's history that a contestant received money worth a million from a single audience member. Other contestants were jealous of Dwayne.
At first, Professor Richard was worried this would spark controversies among the students, and many would complain that it was unfair. Fortunately, it seemed the students acknowledge that the money came from one of the special invited alumni, who simply wanted to support the event.
No one anticipated that Raven, Dwayne's top supporter for the contest, would give him a million worth of money just because Dwayne asked.
As the meeting ended, Raven returned to his office, briefly glancing at Cole's chest pocket, where he often kept Raven's phone.
Noticing the subtle glance, Cole immediately assumed Raven wanted his phone. Without hesitation, Cole take it out of his chest pocket and handed it over.
Years of working with Raven had taught Cole to understand his boss's intentions without a word. Raven often entrusted both his work and personal phones to Cole to avoid distractions during work hours.
It was common for Raven to instruct Cole to send messages on his behalf, whether to business contacts or family members, so it was rare for Raven to need his phone back.
But today was different. Raven was eager to know if the child had won the contest. He could not help but wonder how delighted the child would be, imagining the boy's curls bouncing as he jumped for joy, his head bobbing with a bright smile.
The memory of the boy's face brought a slight smile to Raven's lips.
This small gesture left Cole stunned. He stopped in his tracks, staring in disbelief as Raven continued walking.
Did he really just see that? Did Raven just smile?
Cole shook off his shock, dismissing the thought as irrelevant, and quietly followed Raven.
Raven slowed his pace, checking his messages on Message Line. He had been expecting a message from Professor Richard, and sure enough, there it was.
The professor started by scolding Raven for recklessly spending a million just to vote for Dwayne, saying it could have sparked unwanted complaints from the other contestants. Raven just skimmed over it and focused on Dwayne's name that caught his eye in the third to the last message.
"Thanks to you, Dwayne won the contest. The boy was so shocked he turned pale when he was on stage. Fortunately, I reassured him that you supported the school's activities, so he needn't worry about the money."
"It was a challenge convincing the boy. He's too honest."
Raven quickly typed back, "Did he know it was from me?"
Since the last message was sent only ten minutes ago, Professor Richard was still online and responded promptly.
"Of course, he knew! It took some effort to dissuade him. He wanted your phone number, but knowing you wouldn't want that, I refused."
"Give it to him."
"What?"
"He still owes me a 'request.'"
Professor Richard was walking to his car when he read Raven's last message, nearly tripping over the pavement in shock.
A request? Did Raven mean the part where the top supporter could make a request to the contestant they voted for?
Richard had known Raven since his college days. Despite being exceptionally talented, Raven rarely showed emotion or interest in anything.
Richard always felt that Raven's brilliance came naturally, and he excelled without any real motivation.
But this was different.
Richard sensed something significant in Raven's words.
Raven hadn't just given money to support the school's activities, he had done it specifically for Dwayne.
It seemed Raven knew how Dwayne would react and wanted to create a bridge so they will further interact.
This level of interest was unusual for someone like Raven.
Realizing this, Professor Richard was thrilled.
"Raven, be honest with me. Do you know Dwayne from before? Are you trying to pursue him?"
Raven's reply was almost immediate. "Yes."
The revelation left Professor Richard so stunned that he had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing. He was in the car park, surrounded by students, and didn't want to draw attention by laughing alone.
But his excitement was hard to contain.
"Alright, I'll give Dwayne your phone number so he can contact you."
"I'll be waiting."
Meanwhile, Dwayne stood at the cashier's counter. Thanks to his excellent memory, he had learned how to process orders—where to press for coffee, milkshakes, chocolate, and desserts.
Maki had told Dwayne he could handle the cashier's duties, while she and her husband Ryan would manage the serving.
Dwayne found joy in the simple task of punching in orders, especially since it allowed him to use his sharp memory.
When the café was less busy, Dwayne finally had a moment to check the matchmaker system. It seemed the system understood his intention, as it displayed the congratulatory message for the completion of the side task.
[Congratulations on completing the side task: winning the contest with Raven McGarden's support.]
[As an additional reward, your cute, amicable appearance will be enhanced twofold.]
Dwayne blinked in confusion. "What?"
[You already look adorable to others, but to further aid you in your tasks, the 'Charm' skill has been activated.]
[This skill will make people perceive you as extremely endearing, which can be useful when gathering information.]
[Just flash your charming smile and big, sparkling eyes, and people will be eager to help.]
Dwayne was so startled by the message that he jolted, accidentally knocking a calculator off the desk. Luckily, the remaining three customers did not seem to notice the commotion and continued to mind their own business.
As Dwayne crouched down to pick it up, he hastily whispered.
"Shouldn't the award make me smarter? Or to help me with studies? Why is it trying to enhance my looks?"
[The main purpose there are rewards host, is to help you complete your missions. And being even more good looking will surely help you.]
"But I don't need that. I want rewards that can help me with my studies."
[Host, the purpose of the rewards and the side task is to bring you and that person closer.]
Dwayne tilted his head, as his head is trying to make sense of what the Matchmaker System said to him.
"Is it because that scary person does not have red and white strings that's why you want me to help him?"
[Yes, something along those lines.]
Dwayne pondered. That man was not scary. In fact, when their eyes met earlier, he can feel a sense of familiarity. As if he knew him from before.
A familiar figure overlaps as that scary man's face came into his mind.
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