King James' Conquests (CH 24: Sun And Moon (3))

Technically, it wasn't my first day on the campus. It was compulsory to participate in an induction day in year 6 to prepare for the so-called drastic change. As such, the actual first day wasn't nearly as wildering as it would've been otherwise.

The difference between kids and teenagers was quite drastic, of course. Going from Year 6 to Year 7 was like falling from the top of the food chain to the very bottom. I was a bloody midget compared to those Y11 giants, despite being tall for my age. Puberty didn't hit quite yet.

A wider world had opened, in a way.

There was an assembly to get us situated, and then we split into our tutor groups for the first part of the day. There were six tables, separated by years… so the sixth table was kind of empty since there were only five year groups.

The Year 7 batch for my tutor group included myself, Rokas and two girls. One blonde and another a Bangladeshi girl. They… were typical girls who cared about their looks far too much and gossiped all day. I didn't pay them much attention at the start.

“What does your timetable look like?” I asked Rokas out of curiosity.

He showed his, and it turned out that we belonged to the same 7A group. Hence… our days were intentional, and we shared every class. He finished Primary school with good grades, so he was in the same top sets as me.

“No way.” I chuckled. “I'm stuck with you for the entire year, every bloody period.”

“Until we pick our speciality.”

“Well, what would you pick?”

“Computer science.” He replied with hardly any hesitation.

“Yeah… we won't be seeing each other during those periods.”

There’s no way I’d pick something geeky like computer science.

For the first couple of months, we had taster sessions for each option. There was a decent selection, ranging from food tech to film studies. I ended up picking drama since I was interested in acting and found it pretty fun, especially since the teacher had a good sense of humour. I'd sometimes laugh way too much from the shit that went down in that class…

Oh, did I mention that I totally took over the Y7-9 football team? I took the previous striker’s position, his captain badge and I’m pretty sure his girlfriend was all over me… which I found weird. When he tried to beef with me, I actually held my own, which led to his old ‘friends’ laughing him out of the gym.

I had dabbled in self-defence a little… but, more importantly than that, I didn’t know when to give up, nor did I know the meaning of fear. He did… and I certainly gave him something to be scared about.

Got my first detention and minus points from that fight, but that was pretty much it.

As my first year in secondary school progressed, I began to pay more attention to a certain girl in my year group. At every turn, her grades matched mine, and she got perfect scores more often than not. Sometimes she did better than me… and that pushed me to try even harder.

It was even more apparent since we shared the same table in English class from the very beginning of the year… it was kind of hard to ignore her. Those ‘tables’ were pretty damn small, too, only having enough space for two people. She was shy as hell at the start, but I started getting words out of her over the months.

The best way, of course… was to talk about the subjects she had studied all day, every day. If I was a school tryhard, she was a transcendent tryhard.

“How did you get more marks than me again? How didn’t I get a perfect score?” I rolled my eyes. “English Literature tests are bullshit. My spelling, punctuation, grammar, analysis of the text… everything was perfect. I know the Christmas Carol like the back of my fucking hand.”

“...” She didn't reply initially, not even looking at me. “It is a little embarrassing that I know English Literature better than you do.”

“... Yeah, right.” My eyebrows twitched slightly. “Explain the author’s intent… it's as if the only person who can truly know the author’s intent is the author himself. Everything else is subjective and can only be inferred.”

“As stated by Charles Dicken’s biographer, Michael Slater, the author thought of A Christmas Carol as a way to ‘open the hearts of the prosperous and powerful toward the poor and powerless’... He wanted to bring social change-”

“You are such a neek.” I chuckled, shaking my head. “I get the bloody meaning of the book, I just don't agree with it.”

“Why not?” She questioned.

“Scrooge is just like any rich man in a capitalist society… why should he be inclined to share his wealth with anyone?”

“What good is all that wealth to an old person?” Caroline questioned. “He does nothing with it… forget about being charitable to others; he doesn't even spend it on himself. He's freezing in his own workplace because he shakes at the thought of spending a single extra penny on coal.”

“Okay, that part is stupid.” I chuckled. “If I were rich, I’d at least live in decent luxury. That's the entire point of being rich; to benefit yourself and the people important to you.”

“He doesn’t even do that at the beginning. Nothing is more important than increasing his wealth… which he doesn’t even use.” Caroline countered. “Rather than making the world a better place and bringing fortune to those who are less prosperous, he would rather pinch every penny until his last breath. It’s no wonder why he would've died alone.”

“Fair point, I guess.” I shrugged. “Anyway… give me your notebook. Let me see your so-called ‘perfect’ essay.”

“... Sure.”

I took it and was amazed by just how detailed everything was. It's like she picked apart every single molecule of the given extract and wider novel. As much as I hated to admit it back then, her essays were better than mine. I was second best…

“It's alright.” I gave back the notebook. “Nothing special.”

“Mhm.” She sounded doubtful. “It was marked higher than yours… so is that one nothing special too?”

“The teacher just has a bias for sweet old Carol.” I rolled my eyes. “Girls are always treated better in school.”

“... Right.”

My ego was a little bit bruised, but, more importantly, our academic rivalry began to blossom into something else entirely.

The way I felt about her… I didn't know what it was back then. I acted like I didn't like her all that much, but, really, I was in a good mood during every single English period for the entire year.

…

“There’s no way your real name is Caroline, right?” I asked one lesson. “It’s safe to say that you don’t look English in the slightest.”

“... What an astute observation, Sherlock.” She spoke with a sarcastic tone. “Do you want a medal for that one?”

“A gold one, yeah.” I chuckled. Looking back on it, we were totally into each other from the beginning. It was love at first sight… except neither of us even knew what love was. “Maybe with same-day delivery?”

“I’ll buy one just for you after school.”

“Another medal in my vast collection,” I remarked, deciding to change the subject. “So, what are you? Japanese, Korean, Filipino-”

“How do you miss the biggest one?” She questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“Chinese?” I smiled slightly as she practically gave me a pass into an open goal. “So, were you made in China?”

“I was born in China, yes.” She sighed, shaking her head. “Even so, I’ve lived most of my life here. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard those kinds of jokes.”

“So you’ve had your share of British banter.” I chuckled. “English lads don’t ever have a filter. They’re going to say the first thing that comes to mind… even if it’s a little bit ‘insensitive’, as you’d say.”

“So I’ve learned.”

“So… you weren’t born with an English name, were you?” I tilted my head. “The English one’s probably because no one would be able to pronounce your real one. They’d probably make fun of it, too.”

“That’s about right.” She nodded.

“So… what is it?”

“Zhao Hui Guang.”

“... Zh-” I stopped myself, laughing. “You know, I won’t even try because I know I’d just butcher the shit out of it.”

“That would be for the best.”

…

One time, I was really cooking. In the zone, if you would say. Words were flying across the page. I didn’t see the universe outside of my personal space. It was just me, my book and pen. Detailed paragraphs of peak analysis were being born within minutes.

When I finished, I took a deep breath.

I felt something looking at me and turned to the side instinctively.

It was Caroline… and something told me that she wasn’t looking for just a few seconds.

“What?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Nothing-” She turned away almost immediately, her eyes frozen on her notebook.

“Looks like I finished early, so I get plenty of time to sit around and do nothing while all the slowpokes catch up.” I chuckled. “How fun… our wonderful school system is totally not holding me back in the slightest.”

“... Not everyone is as talented as you are,” Caroline replied.

“Correction; no one is.” I chuckled, shrugging my shoulders. “Nah, I’m just joking. You and Harry are really the only people who can keep up with me in this year group. And you… are the only person who tries harder than me. It’s inspiring, in a way.”

She blushed slightly, not even daring to look my way as she kept writing. It felt like she wanted to say something, but her tongue froze and didn’t let a single word slip by.

“I guess… that’s why I like you more than any other girl.” I smiled. “You push me to be better.”

I got her looking as red as a tomato… as silent as one, too. She didn’t speak for a while after that.

…

“Yo, James. I see you’ve been chatting to that ching chang chong girl…” Jake, one of my ‘friends’, chuckled after a class. “I didn’t think you liked Chinese takeaway.”

“...” For some reason, I didn’t find it all that funny. “You’re not funny, mate.”

“... Huh?” Jake raised an eyebrow. “You used to say stuff like that all the time.”

“Yeah, I did,” I admitted, looking straight at him. “What about it?”

“... Uh, nothing.” Jake chuckled nervously.

“Hm.” I turned away and went to have my lunch break.

The popular sentiment among everyone was that I could’ve had anyone I wanted… yet I settled for a girl who was only seen as ‘decent’ in appearance, quiet and uninteresting by others.

Was I blind, or was everyone else?

I began to read books about love, trying to figure out if I had been struck by its influence…

When the truth came to me, I came to accept it pretty quickly.

This girl… was meant for me.

…

I caught her looking at me again… like a bit too much.

“What?” I questioned, smiling slightly.

“Nothing-” She said. It was the same excuse as every other time. She really was hopeless at conveying her emotions. “I was… just looking at your work.”

“If it’s just that, why’d you just turn away when I looked?” I questioned, doing a few tricks with my pen as I glanced at her. “You know… you can look at me as long as you like. I won’t ever mind a beautiful girl looking at me.”

I was on a different type of timing that day… the rizz demon within had awakened, and Caroline was the first (and only) victim.

“I’m… not.”

“Not what?” I raised an eyebrow. “Beautiful? You are to me.”

Again, I had her blushing like a cherry blossom.

“... Don’t… say things like that.”

“Why not?” I questioned. “I think you feel the same way I do.”

“...”

…

We started doing more things together, ‘dating’ in school without any official tag. Instead of scoring flurries of goals during break times and ruining everyone’s day… I spent more time at the library studying with her. We exchanged resources, methods of answering questions and the like.

Her way was very traditional, made for answering exam questions. She was like a machine that followed every line of code perfectly. Me? I was a natural rebel, so to speak. I hated rules and loved doing things my way.

That’s why she almost always got higher marks than me…

“You’re… a genuine genius,” Caroline remarked, her eyes sparkling as she read over my resources. “Can I take some of your resources home?”

“Sure…” I shrugged. I could remember all of it, anyway, and even recreate all of it in less than ten minutes. “It didn’t take all that long for me to make them, anyway. Even so… why take the product when you can have the source?”

“The… source?” Caroline fixed her hair, blushing from embarrassment. “What… do you mean by that?”

“Oh, you know.” I grinned slightly, my eyes dancing around her. “Me.”

“... You?” She blinked. “You… don’t mean-”

“I want to ask if you’d like to be my girlfriend.” I cut in, knowing that she wouldn’t have the courage to ask. “You’re intelligent, ambitious, refined, beautiful… everything I could ever ask for.”

“... Your… girlfriend?”

“My one and only,” I affirmed. “I won’t settle for anyone but you.”

“... That’s… sudden…” She played with her hair a little chaotically. “I need time… to think about it.”

“Take as much time as you need.” I smiled, nodding. “It took me time to figure it out too…”

Spoilers… she agreed the next day.

We were a little bit awkward for the rest of the year, and she didn’t look ‘right’ next to me. She received a lot more attention… most of it negative, especially from other girls. It made me realise just how much girls were willing to fight over me. It was a little scary.

I had to shoo them away like a lion pulling up on a pack of hyenas loitering in his territory.

I wasn’t afraid of hitting any girl who bullied my girlfriend, especially since I was the reason why she got hurt in the first place. They thought that by making her look ‘uglier’, they’d make me change my mind and look at them instead. Truth be told… I began to have an even greater sense of disdain for them.

~

After Year 7 came to a close, I started the next year in high gear and never looked back. This year of my life has a certain… charm to it. I was peaking across the board, reaching heights I couldn’t imagine before. I had a lot of physical growth, ran faster, was a lot stronger, smarter… you get the picture.

My team never lost a game across the entire year, and I could practically score with my eyes closed. Oh, and we won a pretty prestigious cup for youths, putting me in a couple of newspapers and getting the title of ‘England’s Little Golden Star’. It was a little embarrassing.

I won the school’s talent show, got voted in as Head Boy, won every gold medal I could during Sport’s Day, and got a fuckton of awards… just because of me alone; the school rose to prominence. We got overcrowded during multiple events just because people wanted to see me perform, whether it was football, singing or even playing with instruments.

I was a local celebrity, you could say.

As for my relationship, Caroline and I started taking our relationship a bit more… seriously. Gosh, we were so adorable, hand-holding and hugging so clumsily. There were some awkward kisses on the cheek here and there. Neither of us had any experience with it, but the warm feeling was there.

She was at every single one of my games… which led to me playing at an even greater level. No one could stop me.

At the end of the year, Caroline gave me a surprise…

A sweet, sweet, kiss on the lips.

I may or may not have been over the moon the entire summer break from that alone.

I also went on a summer vacation to Spain, enjoying the luxuries of a five-star hotel for a good two weeks. We also travelled to an island with an inactive volcano. I cycled all around the entire island and got to see some of the wider world…

I was living my best life.

Before I knew it, I was in Year 9 and had become a ‘senior’ figure for the lower two year groups. There wasn’t a single point in time where I did not feel happy during the first couple of months. My energy was pretty infectious, affecting those around me. Year 9… was a vibe.

I… really felt like the King of the World.

Caroline really started finding her confidence during this time as well. It was the difference between a relatively meek servant girl and a queen. She also popularised my nickname of ‘King James’ and would often celebrate my goals by ‘crowning’ me.

I had the splendid idea of performing together at the end of term, which she hesitated to do at first. This led to us spending even more time together, practising for the big day. When it came… we both shined.

I started it all off with the instrumental of ‘Just the Way You Are’ playing in the background. The only vocals would be my own… sadly, great as I was, I couldn’t play all the instruments at once. If I had more arms, I probably would.

“Oh, her eyes, her eyes, make the stars look like they’re not shinin’... her hair, her hair, falls perfectly without her trying.” I began to sing, captivating the masses. “She’s so beautiful, and I tell her every day…”

“Yeah, I know, I know… when I compliment her, she won’t believe me. And it’s so, it’s so sad to think that she don’t see what I see…”

I looked at Caroline, and she got all flustered, her lips curling into a sweet smile.

This song felt almost… too perfect. Bruno Mars really was cooking when he made it.

I kept singing, of course. The show goes on.

When I see your face… there’s not a thing that I could change… all of that sweet stuff.

“Her lips, her lips, I’d kiss them all day if she’d let me.” I grabbed the microphone and gave her my hand, which she took. “Her laugh, her laugh… she hates it, but I think it’s so sexy…”

We started to dance together, in perfect rhythm.

“... If perfect’s what you’re searching for, then just stay the same.”

Soon enough… it was her turn to sing.

When I was done, there was a thunderous wave of applause. During it, I presented her a microphone.

“If you would, my queen.” I smiled.

“You’re impossible.” She chuckled, taking a deep breath. “I hate you for making me do this, by the way.”

“I’ll be there for you the entire way.” I smiled. “We can sing it together if you want.”

“... No, I’ll do it myself.” She took the microphone, shaking her head.

“Alright, alright.” I nodded. “I know you can do it, my sweet Caroline. Don’t let the big crowd go to your head. Just think of this as just another… slightly more important practice session.”

“Slightly more important.” She repeated. “You know, just… everyone from three year groups and most of the teachers. No pressure at all.”

“No pressure.” I nodded, patting her shoulder. “This crowd doesn’t exist, don’t even think about them. It’s just you, your voice and that microphone. Just… sing.”

“... It’s easy for you to say, King James.” She took another deep breath. “I’m really not made for this…”

“You are. You won’t succeed unless you believe in yourself first.” I smiled, tilting my head. “Besides, I believe in you. I’ve seen you do it… only you need to realise it.”

Eventually, I had to get off the stage and take a seat. It was just her and the horde of observers. Well, horde was an exaggeration… it was probably like six hundred or so. But, to her, it probably felt like Genghis Khan’s great horde.

There was an awkward silence for a good while… before the song started playing. I could feel her nervousness from a mile away.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Remember those walls I built…” Her voice was a little quiet at the start. “Well, baby, they’re tumbling down, and they didn’t even put up a fight. They didn’t even make a sound.”

The crowd started clapping a little, in tune to to the instrumentals.

“I found a way to let you in, but I never really had a doubt…”

“Standing in the light of your halo; I got my angel now.” She took another deep breath, opening her eyes and looking at me. “It’s like I’ve been awakened, every rule I had you breaking… it’s the risk that I’m taking. I ain’t ever gonna shut you out.”

My eyes lit up, and I gave her a thumbs up.

She smiled, continuing to sing.

“Everywhere I’m looking now, I’m surrounded by your embrace. Baby, I can see your halo; you know you’re my saving grace.”

I was beginning to feel quite proud… though, she wasn’t just singing for the sake of it. Her words carried something else. Her tone of voice was one that was overflowing with love from the soul. That is why it grasped the hearts of the crowd and left them all silent.

“You’re everything I need and more. It’s written all over your face.” She began to find her confidence, nodding her head along with the beat. “Baby, I can feel your halo. Pray it won’t fade away…”

“I can feel your halo (halo) halo, I can see your halo (halo) halo… I can feel your halo (halo) halo, I can see your halo (halo) halo…”

“Hit me like a ray of sun, burning through my darkest night. You’re the only one I want… think I’m addicted to your light-”

She kept on singing, and the longer she went, the more I fell in love… even more so than I had before. If my heart could’ve, it probably would’ve grown wings and flown out to her hands. She was just so… perfect.

Even now, I couldn’t suppress those feelings. All I could do was watch helplessly as time passed by and my lovestruck self flew through life.

When she finished the song in its entirety, a wave of applause followed, and the music teacher gave a big ol’ speech about how amazing we were. She said that we could make money with performances like those… she was right, of course.

“That’s my girlfriend right there.” I looked at the lads around me. “What’s your girlfriend doing? Oh wait, you guys don’t even have one… my bad.”

“... Vile.” Jack chuckled. “You’re a dickhead.”

“A happy one.”

When Christmas break started, I took her to Winter Wonderland on a date with my allowance money. We looked around, seeing the exorbitant prices for everything. Caroline was shy about me spending my money.

She stared at one of the waffle shops… not saying anything.

I noticed pretty easily.

“You want some hot waffles with Nutella, huh?” I stroked my chin.

“No… I’m fine.” She shook her head. “It’s 7 quid just for one little waffle. Not worth it at all…”

“My sweet Carol’s happiness is priceless.” I smiled, stepping forward. I paid for her waffle… and, I won’t lie, it smelt really fucking good. I wanted one but chose to save money for the rides.

“Here.”

“You… didn’t have to.” She shook her head. “I’ll pay you after-”

“Nuh-uh.” I wagged my finger, presenting the waffle with my other hand. “You’re not spending a penny, you got that? I brought you out on this date. So, as any gentleman would, I’m going to treat you like a lady. What’s the point if you pay it back? It’s worse than a slap to the face.”

“... Okay.” She smiled, sighing. “I won’t fight you over it.”

In the end, she did enjoy the waffles after the sense of guilt washed away. Quite a lot, actually. I got a tad bit jealous. I wanted some.

“You want some?” Caroline questioned.

“Nah… I’m good…” I gulped, looking away as we kept walking. My stomach rumbled a little.

“You totally do.” Caroline laughed, turning to me. “Say ahh~”

I kept my mouth closed as Caroline tried to force-feed me.

“Your face will get all chocolatey if you keep this up, you know.” She smiled as she moved her hand closer.

“Don’t treat me like a child.” I rolled my eyes. Then… I caught the smell of fresh waffles.

“The airplane is coming~”

My mouth instinctively opened… I couldn’t help it. Caroline slipped the chocolate-full piece of waffle straight into my mouth and withdrew her fingers. I closed my mouth a little too soon, catching one of her fingers between my lips.

We shared an awkward moment of silence, looking at each other before she steadily withdrew her finger.

“Sorry about that.” I chuckled, munching on the waffle. “It’s really good.”

“I knew you’d like it.” She smiled, nodding. She wiped her finger. “... You sure do have warm lips.”

“Don’t make it weird.” I chuckled.

“It’s not that weird.” She countered, shaking her head.

“... Hmm.” I looked up, changing the subject. “Look at that big ride over there. The one with loops.”

“... We are not going on that ride,” Caroline replied.

“Yes, we are.”

“No, we’re not…”

“Hell yeah, we are!” I spoke with enthusiasm as if I was charging out to slay a dragon and save the princess. “Let’s goooo-”

I took her hand and walked right to it.

“... You’re terrible.” Caroline sighed. “If I vomit on your face from motion sickness, you only have yourself to blame.”

“I’ll clean my handsome face, don’t you worry.” I smiled. “Come on, the big rides are the best part. You might feel like you’re going to die for a minute or so… but that’s the entire point. To feel a greater thrill!”

“... I wish I could say that I was just as excited as you.” She chuckled, shaking her head. “I swear, I’m going to scream your head off midway.”

“Scream your heart out.”

I paid the fee for both of us, totalling to about twenty quid. The price made Caroline even more hesitant.

“It’s… not worth it. We should go on a cheaper ride.”

“Like the slow-ass carrousel?” I scoffed, shaking my head. “I’d rather go on this one once than five of those.”

“Fine…” She sighed. “Let’s go on this one.”

The line looked huge… but there were five trains, and each one had seven ‘cars’ enough for two people each. So, almost simultaneously, seventy people were going on the ride. In just five minutes or so, it was our turn.

The couple ahead of us had this huge Pokemon plushie… which Caroline was eyeing. I, being the observant young man that I was, took note of that.

We sat down in our car and got settled. Up close, the ride looked even larger.

“There are five loops… they go upside down… and spin… high in the air.” Caroline sounded like she was being sent out to war.

“That sounds wonderful.” I smiled.

The operators pulled up and pushed down the seat’s restraints on us so that no one would go flying.

And then… it started moving forward. A little slowly.

As all rides do, it gave you the false sense of belief that it wasn’t going to be anything too crazy. Caroline had her eyes closed even then.

“God, this looks exciting.” I grinned. “Ooooh, I can’t wait.”

“I regret the day I said yes to being your girlfriend,” Caroline muttered sarcastically.

It kept climbing up… and up… and up…

Then it stormed down.

I kept still, glancing at Caroline.

“WOAAAAAAH… WE’RE GOING TO DIE, WE’RE GOING TO DIE AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

When she opened her eyes, she really did scream my head off.

Though… to be fair, the ride was pretty insane. Even I made a loud sound as the adrenaline pumped through my veins. I felt like I was flying.

Then, the looping part started.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

Again… rest… again… and again.

It kept looking and making Caroline scream even more. Though, she wasn’t the only one. Everyone was screaming. I just ended up laughing.

Eventually… it ended.

Caroline was breathing heavily as if she had run a marathon. She walked unsteadily, her hand on her head. She didn’t even talk.

I grabbed her hand and helped her walk.

“How was it?” I questioned.

“I hate you.”

“And I love you.” I smiled, turning away. “Let’s find a place to sit.”

Even though she said she hated it at the moment and kept that sentiment for the entire day… in the future, she said that it was one of the most fun things she had ever done.

Eventually, she got better, and we moved on to other things. We were walking around, trying to find the next best thing to do. There were plenty of attractions… it really was a wonderland. Eventually, I spotted the place where one could win those huge Pokemon plushies.

It was a simple game where there was a circular hole where you had to throw a ball in. If you succeeded, you’d win. Sound simple enough, right?

Well, you also needed to bounce the little ball off the wall behind it, which was curved and had a stretched-out part at the bottom. If you threw too lightly, it would stop at that wedge. If you threw it too hard, it would bounce right off and miss the hole beneath it.

A single attempt would cost four quid, five would cost a tenner, and you could get twenty tries for twenty quid. I stood and watched everyone try to win the prize…

It looked like everyone was losing…

“What a scam…” I muttered. “All the idiots are just throwing their money at it.”

“It looks simple, but it’s almost impossible to bounce it in,” Caroline added. “Obviously, they wouldn’t create a game where they’d lose money. The amount of people that lose has to be far greater than those who win… even worse, a single person can only win one prize.”

“Those plushies are big, so they would probably cost fifty quid or so… maybe seventy.” I nodded, stroking my chin. “Which one do you want?”

“What…?” She raised an eyebrow. “You shouldn’t waste your money trying to play that game-”

“Which one does my Caroline want?” I asked again, taking the tone of someone who wasn’t taking no for an answer.

“Squirtle… the blue one,” Caroline replied, shaking her head. “Even so, I don’t really… need it-”

“Squirtle, yeah?” I smiled. “You’re getting one today.”

I kept watching the goons throw their balls and money away. Even after a hundred attempts, no one seemed to get it until one gigachad-looking man just threw it in with hardly any effort. He got the red one… Charmander… and walked away casually, giving the plushie to a little girl who I assumed was his daughter. The plushie was bigger than she was.

I recalled his throw… seeing it again and again in my head.

“Thank you, mate,” I told him as he walked past me.

He kept walking.

I stepped forward and cracked my knuckles.

“Give me one ball.” I put up one finger, sliding four coins.

“Are you sure you only want one attempt?”

“Yeah, that’s all that I’ll need.” I grinned with confidence.

“Sure, kid.”

I grabbed the ball and tossed it… exactly as the guy who had made it.

The ball bounced off the wall and fell right in the dead-centre.

“... Wow.” The operator’s eyes widened, glancing at me. “Not bad, you were pretty lucky.”

“All skill,” I replied, pointing to one of the Squirtles. “Give me that one.”

“There you go. Have fun with it.”

I chuckled. “It’s not for me.”

I took the big ass Squirtle plushie, which was longer than my chest, and presented it to Caroline.

“There you go, my dear. One Squirtle as promised.”

She took it joyfully, practically jumping.

“It’s so cute…” She stated, smiling happily as she hugged it. “I love it.”

Seeing her so happy made me happy too.

“You’re welcome…”

After she was done cuddling it, she turned to me and tip-toed to give me a kiss on the lips.

“I love you.” Even though she was blushing red, her words didn’t fail her. “You’re so amazing… I can’t put it into words.”

“Stop… you’ll make me blush too.” I looked away for a second, chuckling. “Come on, I’m not done winning yet!”

“... I don’t need anything else-”

“Oh… there’s one where you have to shoot with a gun?” I smiled. “I’m feeling American.”

I went ahead and started blasting those snow figures, one after the other. None of my shots missed… I was going for the grand prize. In the end, after spending quite a handsome amount, I got enough shots to win the biggest prize. Another huge plushie for Caroline’s collection.

This one… was a huge lion.

“I might not even have room for that…” Caroline sighed, even though she couldn’t hide her cheerful smile. “You’re so stubborn sometimes. When you set your mind to something, you never let go.”

“When I saw this one, I promised to myself that I’d get it.” I smiled, shaking my head. “Whenever you look at it, think of me.”

“My handsome golden lion…” She took it into her arms, looking at me. “How much did you spend to get enough shots for it?”

“Your happiness is priceless to me,” I stated, looking into her beautiful eyes, which made the stars look dim. “I would never put a number to it… besides that, one day I’ll be the richest athlete in the world. I’m hardly throwing away pennies.”

“... The ‘best player to ever grace the pitch’, is that right?” She tilted her head.

“Mhm… that is my dream.” I nodded. “With the kind of money I’ll be having, you won’t have to worry about anything ever again.”

“... That’s not what I care about, James.” She shook her head, embracing me. “I just want to be with you… and make my dream come true.”

“Would you even need to go to Oxford?” I questioned.

“Don’t take it the wrong way… but I don’t want to be reliant on you. My dream hasn’t changed.”

That part… irked me a little bit. I was a traditionalist in that sense. Yes, I believed that a wife should stay at home and keep it all nice and tidy while the man provides. Some might see it as sexism, but it was a topic of pride for me.

My wife… shouldn’t work at all, especially for another man. The only work would really be housekeeping and taking care of the kids when they come to be… which might arguably be harder than actual work (especially if the boys are anything like their father). Imagine having to do that alongside work hours?

I’d be ashamed.

“... That’s fine.” I smiled. “Oxford University is the most prestigious University in the entire world. It is a fine goal to seek.”

We had some more fun at the park before leaving and making the journey back home. When we were finished, it was dark as all hell, so I walked her home. Didn’t want any goon to jump my girlfriend.

My sixth sense was right… some hooded fellow wearing all black pulled up. Nike tracksuit, shoes, puffer jacket, head warmer, bag… everything was Nike. He walked up to me and I raised an eyebrow.

Bro started checking my pockets…

Nah… I wasn’t having that.

BANG.

I punched him right in the fucking face, and he stumbled back. Oh, I wasn’t done.

He kept stepping back, his right hand in a pocket.

“ARE YOU MAD?” He shouted at the top of his lungs, trying to be intimidating. “DON’T MAKE BE BACK OUT THE SHANK!”

I won’t lie… these roadmen were so embarrassing.

“Try me.”

“I’LL CHEFF YOU UP RIGHT NOOOW!”

“You would’ve done it already if you meant it.” I rolled my eyes, giving my backpack to Caroline. Then I put up my fists and began to ‘dance’. By dancing… I mean boxing footwork. “Come on, mate. Let’s fight!”

“You’re finished!” He took out his machete and started waving it at me.

I danced around the baboon and gave him a nice jab… and another one, following up with a hook that separate his soul from his physical body. That young man collapsed to the ground.

“Did you… kill him?”

“Nah, he should wake up just fine.” I chuckled. “I’m not Mike Tyson. Bring my backpack here.”

She gave me my backpack, and I zipped it open, put in the machete and his entire pouch. I was looting his ass for messing with me. I took his puffer jacket, entire tracksuit and shoes… dumping them off into different bins in the neighbourhood.

“God, I hate people like this. They should be deported to whatever country they came from and never allowed back. They make my country worse with their bullshit… trying to act like they’re hard criminals. They’d crumble like a table of cards against a real soldier.”

Caroline kept quiet as I continued stripping the fool.

By the end, he had nothing on but his boxers and head warmer. I whipped out my phone and took a picture. One with the headwarmer and one without. Future blackmail material if he acted up.

I don’t know why I kept the head warmer… but it seemed pretty funny to leave it on while he was almost completely naked.

“At least his head will keep warm.” I chuckled.

“I don’t think… this is a good idea. You practically stole from him.” Caroline had a concerned expression. “What if he comes back and attacks you with more people?”

“Don’t worry, I got Dennis on speed dial.” I smiled, shaking my head. “That guy is always ready for a fight. If anything… he already beat up all the local roadmen into extinction. As for ‘stealing’? He was ready to steal from us, so he should also be ready to get looted by me."

“... Let’s just go home before he wakes up. Maybe he’ll forget?”

“Maybe…” I nodded, grabbing her hand. “Let’s get going… I don’t want to spoil this night.”

I walked her home and we didn’t encounter any more wannabe roadmen. She put her plushies to the side and gave me a nice warm hug.

“Other than the whole fight…-”

“Which wasn’t my fault, by the way.” I interjected.

“This was the best day of my life.” She smiled, backing away and kissing me on the lips. “I had so much fun… thank you for everything. I feel bad about having you spend so much, but I’ll make it up to you in the future. I promise.”

“You don’t have to make up for anything.” I shook my head. “You’re my girlfriend and I asked you out tonight. Everything was on me.”

“... You’re so sweet.” She caressed the side of my face. “You’re the sun in the sky of my life… always shining so brightly.”

“Getting poetic on me, huh?” I chuckled, looking up at the sky. “If I am the sun, then you are the stars and moon of my sky… bringing light to the night.”

“Sun and Moon… I think it fits us well.” She smiled, nodding. “Goodnight.”

“Wait one moment…” I grabbed her hand.

“Hmm?”

“It’s my turn.” I grinned slightly, holding her face still as I pressed my lips against hers.

“Mhn~” Caroline moaned quite passionately, her face blushing pink. We made out for over a dozen seconds, touching each other in new places. She eventually backed away, shaking her head.

“You naughty devil…”

“I will be a future Red Devil so you’re not too far off.” I chuckled. “I love you, Caroline.”

“I love you more.” She smiled, blowing me a kiss. “My wonderful King James.”

“... My Christmas Caroline.” I smiled, nodding.

“Goodnight.”

“Sweet dreams.”

When she returned home with both huge plushies, I turned away and walked to my house.

‘Why do I care…?’

That was the question I asked myself when fighting Xia Qingyue… yet it was becoming all too clear.

I loved her, I really did.

We were… perfect.

Until… I was not.