Damian Desmond/Synopsis

## History

Damian is the second son born to Donovan Desmond, the chairman of the National Unity Party, and Melinda Desmond, who would later become estranged from the family. Owing to his birth, Damian was raised effectively as royalty within Ostanian society. His older brother, Demetrius, is a member of the Imperial Scholars. At some point while growing up, Damian realized that Donovan did not pay much attention to him, but did with Demetrius, making him believe that his father did not like spending time with him. Thus, he swore to become an Imperial Scholar like his brother to also get their father's attention.

Before enrolling into Eden Academy, Damian appears to have met Emile Elman and Ewen Egeburg and became good friends with them, and also got his pet dog, Max.

## Synopsis

### Eden Beginnings Arc

On Eden Academy's orientation day, Damian is among the two hundred-eight new students accepted into Eden Academy that year. During the assigning of the classes and their homeroom teachers, he is assigned to Cecile Hall along with Anya Forger, whose father Loid plans to have her befriend him to get close to his father. When Anya stares at him, Damian takes notice and arrogantly assumes she has fallen for him.

During the school tour, Damian, along with Emile and Ewen, brags about being able to become an Imperial Scholar soon and his father being the chairman of the National Unity Party, quickly gaining the admiration of his classmates, except Anya and Becky Blackbell. He approaches Anya, asking about her father's occupation, then mocks her for her commoner status. After Anya says she does not care and smugly smiles at him, Damian gets humiliated and begins to insult Anya, calling her "ugly." He starts harassing Anya by throwing a crumpled paper ball at her and threatening to bully her out of school. To his shock, Anya sends him flying with a punch into a chair and some trash bins. He is left with an imprint of a fist on his cheek and begins crying. Henry Henderson informs his parents of what transpired.

The next day, Damian bumps into Anya and Becky, and his followers and Becky begin arguing, and Anya attempts to apologize for the previous day, but Becky pulls Anya away. In class, Damian stares at Anya from behind, getting angry about her being the only one to have ever hit him, and turns away blushing slightly when Anya turns to look at him. At the school cafeteria, Anya approaches Damian to apologize to him. Getting up to face her, he is confused at being tongue-tied and his heart beating faster whenever she looks at him, his face blushing. When Anya apologizes to him in tears, Damian is touched and his face turns entirely red, making an excuse that it is anger. Embarrassed, he reminds himself that Anya defied him, but starts imagining Anya staring right into his eyes. Denying his crush on a "commoner," he states that he refuses to ever forgive her for as long as he lives and dashes off in a red blushing mess.

### Stella Star Arc

In the morning at Cecile Hall dorm's common room, Damian looks solemnly at the group photo taken during orientation, where he stands alone. Ewen and Emile approach him with a photo album featuring many photographs of Damian's older brother's accomplishments and status as an Imperial Scholar while Damian looks dispirited. However, Ewen and Emile are confident that Damian will be the first in their grade to get a Stella and mention that there is an opportunity in next week's dodgeball tournament for P.E. class, where it is rumored that the MVP of the game will be rewarded a Stella. After realizing this and who their opponents will be, the three boys prepare their training for the game. Later, when the boys head to class, they get into an argument with Anya and Becky, picking on each other and name-calling.

On the day of the dodgeball match, Damian and his group briefly argue with Becky again. Although shocked by Anya walking away from him, he turns away, focused on getting MVP in the dodgeball match instead to earn a Stella Star. He reveals that his motivation to become an Imperial Scholar like his brother is to get his father's attention. Damian is the first to throw the ball and sends it flying at the students of Wald Hall, but his throw is intercepted by Bill Watkins. He banters with Bill briefly before Bill makes a powerful throw.

After Bill eliminates several of his classmates, their team is left with only five students, with Damian left standing with Anya, Ewen, Emile, and one other unnamed student. While Damian tries to think of a weakness, Emile and Ewen sacrifice themselves to protect Damian from being hit by Bill. Damian is determined to make an impression by being the one left standing, apathetic about others being hit. Damian praises Anya after she dodges several hits. After Anya trips and falls, Damian initially thinks to abandon her but is able to intercept the ball with his hands, though it leaves his hands shaking and unable to grab the ball, eliminating him. Damian is confused by his actions and tells Anya not to mess up. At the end of the dodgeball match, Damian gets angry at Anya for wasting his sacrifice with an awful throw.

When Anya becomes the first in their grade to earn a Stella Star, Damian cannot believe that she beat him to it first. The next day, Damian tells Anya not to get too full of herself before walking away. When their classmates start gossiping about the legitimacy behind Anya's Stella and ask Damian for his thoughts, he tells them that Eden Academy is not a third-rate school that would give out Stella Stars without merit. Damian then says they should transfer somewhere else if they have a problem with the school. However, these words only hurt Damian because he knows he has lost to Anya. At lunch, Damian and his friends pass by Anya, who asks him if he has a dog. Damian shrugs her off but thinks about his dog, Max. Anya believes that if she gets a dog, Damian will invite her to his house to compare their dogs there, prompting her to ask her parents for one.

### Doggy Crisis Arc

After the Forger family gets their new dog Bond, who had yet to be named, Anya believes she can now fulfill her mission. At school, Anya talks about getting a dog to Becky, who invites her to her house for a playdate with their dogs, making Anya believe that Damian will do the same. When she goes to tell Damian, he is indifferent to the information, dismaying Anya as she falls to the floor in defeat. As his friends praise him for this, Damian is confused. Damian decides to indulge Anya and asks what her dog's name is. Anya beams when she hears this, to Damian's surprise as he blushes. She is about to tell him her dog's name but realizes she has not done so. Wishing he never asked, Damian walks away and says she is unfit to own a pet, shocking Anya.

### Midterm Exams Arc

Believing that Damian told her to come up with a cool name for her dog in order to be invited to his house, Anya brings a family photo with Bond to school. Intending to show Damian how awesome Bond is, she drops it on the ground and brings attention to it, hoping he will see it and be impressed. However, Damian and his gang just walk away, ignoring her. Later, the students of Cecile Hall have their arts-and-crafts class supervised by Henderson, who assigns them to create a paper animal model. Damian initially decides to not take it seriously, but after overhearing that their success in this may go on their secret transcripts, he decides to put some effort in. Henry announces the tables with Damian and Anya at the same table, which upsets the former.

After losing her photo to Becky, Anya makes a paper Bond and shows it off to Damian. Damian is unimpressed and calls it garbage which puts Anya into despair. Emile asks Damian what he is making, to which Damian replies that he is making a griffin, the crest of his family. He tells those at his table to not use too much paper as he needs a lot before imagining Donovan praising him. As Damian realizes he will not have enough time and materials to make his griffin, Anya tells Damian that she will help him and he can use all her paper which shocks him. He is even more shocked when Anya explains that she already finished her model. Anya says that she just wants to help Damian, which he reluctantly accepts.

Damian instructs Anya to make the hind legs of the griffin and gives her the plans for the model. She instead proceeds to make jet engines which angers Damian. He tells her instead to make feathers for the wings, to which she makes a few different-sized slips of paper. He yells at her for wasting all his paper, which brings the attention of Henry, who tells him off. As time runs out for the art projects, Anya decides to convert her Bond model into a small female griffin to pair with Damian's, to his confusion. Afterward, Damian is dumbfounded to learn that his art piece ended up winning first prize due to the contingent of the board of trustees who saw it thinking it was a powerful vision of the nation's rebound from war. Anya tells Damian that his parents will probably be proud, but Damian tells her that he has no intention of showing the art to them.

Damian returns to his dorm and calls his butler, Jeeves. Damian asks how his dog Max is doing before being asked if he will be returning home for the weekend. Damian declines as his father will not be there and also wants to stay at the dorms so he can focus on studying for their midterm exams. Damian is about to tell Jeeves about his art project before instead asking what his father's response was to the incident at orientation. After a short pause, Jeeves tells Damian that his father was very concerned, which Damian does not believe. Damian ends the call and goes to study with Ewen and Emile. He thinks about how Donovan does not care about him and vows to become an Imperial Scholar to please his father and earn his respect.

Henry announces the upcoming midterms and returns the students' History quizzes. After Anya receives her inelegant grade, Damian shows off his higher score to her, mocking Anya's smirk as he does it. On the day of the midterms, Damian gets ready with the other students to start their exams.

Five days later, the midterm scores are posted in the quad. Damian and his gang look for his placement and find that he got 11th in the class. Not only that, but he is in the second place for History with a score of 94, earning him a Stella Star. Damian is overjoyed, then sees that Anya placed 213th out of 228 students. Damian makes an attempt at consoling her by stating she did not fail in any of the subjects before leaving with his gang, finding her strange that she can be so cheerful despite such low grades.

The students of Cecile Hall are outside cleaning the courtyard, and Damian performs a cleaning move he calls: "Desmond Style Rolling Sweep." and ends up flinging a bunch of dirt toward Anya and Becky. Emile and Ewen compliment Damian on his cleaning skills, and more of their classmates surround him and shower him with compliments, and ask about having a study group with him before the next exam. Suddenly, George Glooman pulls out a cigarette butt from his jacket and pretends to pick it up from the ground by Damian. He accuses Damian of smoking and calls a teacher over. Damian grabs his shoulder and tells him to stop, but George punches himself to the ground, to Damian's confusion. The teacher comes over and asks what happened. George explains to the teacher that he found a cigarette butt on the ground, and after calling a teacher over, he was attacked by Damian.

The teacher demands an explanation from Damian, but Anya comes to Damian's defense and tells him what really happened. After the teacher leaves, Damian blushes as Anya says that letting him get expelled would also hurt her, though she was referring to her "mission." Embarrassed further by Becky's comments, Damian asks why Anya helped and yells at her to leave him alone. Damian then confronts George and demands to know why he was trying to get him expelled. George cries out that his life is over and explains that his family's company has gone bankrupt. Damian asks what it has to do with him, and George replies that the Desmond Group drove the company to bankruptcy. George believed that if Damian had gotten expelled, the Desmonds would be too distracted to mess with Glooman Pharmaceuticals. George concedes but says that he will have to leave the school now that his family is bankrupt, and they will be on the street by tomorrow. George expresses his envy of Damian, saying that he and his family is nothing like the trash he is. Emile and Ewen stand up for Damian while putting down George, which the former sees as going a little too far.

George bursts into tears, crying about his desire to spend his springtime at school, then he begins picking up trash while calling himself trash. Wanting to calm him down, Damian offers him juice. George glares at him but accepts. After finishing the juice, he speaks of his regret of never being able to order the deluxe caviar bowl at the cafeteria. Damian gets George the bowl, who always wanted to know what it feels like to wear a Stella Star. Damian gets irritated but lets George wear his Stella after he mopes. After George starts talking about how sad his life will be from now on in Westalis, Anya assures him that it will be okay. Happy that all his classmates are being so nice to him, George bursts into tears, and he makes one last request: to sing the school chorus with everyone. Becky is the first to start singing, and eventually, everyone from Cecile Hall except Anya starts singing the chorus together, dancing in a circle.

After they finish, Damian gives George his favorite stationery set, telling him not to forget everyone after he leaves. The other students also give George gifts and bid him a tearful farewell. After learning that he will not be leaving Eden, a humiliated George returns to school the next day, and Damian reminds him to pay back for the juice.

### Campbelldon Tennis Arc

For their upcoming social studies project, Henry instructs the students to investigate an occupation that interests them. He suggests various methods and adds that they will each prepare a report about their chosen profession and present it to the class on Friday. Emile asks Damian if he will interview his dad, to which Damian replies that he will if he can get hold of him.

### Imperial Scholars Mixer Arc

Damian, Ewen, and Emile look at the school bulletin and see that the Imperial Scholars mixer will start next week. Although the event has nothing to do with the boys, they eagerly discuss how they will eventually become Imperial Scholars. They then notice Anya staring at them from behind a corner, and Damian tells her to stop. After the weekend, Damian and his friends see Anya and Becky chatting on their way to class, and the sight of the girls' bright smiles catches his eye. One of the boys asks Damian what is up with him, and he dismisses them in embarrassment.

On the day of the Imperial Scholars mixer, the students of Cecile Hall prepare to leave after finishing class. One of the girls asks Damian if his dad will be there, as his brother, Demetrius, is an Imperial Scholar. Damian does not hear them, instead thinking back to a phone call with Demetrius. Damian asked his brother to deliver a message to Donovan: to meet with him in the courtyard after the mixer. Demetrius agrees but tells Damian not to get his hopes up, as their father is a busy man, before ending the call.

In the present, the girls ask to meet with Donovan, and Damian angrily tells them to leave him alone and stomps away with his friends in tow. Anya follows them, and Damian yells at her to go away. Ewen speaks up to tell Damian why Anya has been chasing him. Damian reddens up, assuming romantic reasons. Ewen explains that Anya might be chasing him to curry favor with Donovan, and Emile agrees, saying Anya is the same as all the other kids. Embarrassed and enraged, Damian calls Anya names before running away.

Outside the Tower of Wisdom, Imperial Scholars and their families walk through the school grounds, heading to the event. The boys are amazed at how many people there are, and Emile comments that even among all the famous people present, Donovan is a V.I.P., which makes Damian freeze up. He decides not to see his father, shocking the others. Damian reasons that his father is an incredible and busy man that does not have time to waste on people like him. As he turns to inform Demetrius of his decision, he is abruptly stopped in his tracks by Anya.

Damian tells Anya to get lost, but she smugly taunts him, asking him if he is scared, and says she knows he is. Damian wonders if she is reading his mind, and Anya explains that she saw his poor grade on the Reading test after looking over his shoulder. Anya says Damian is scared his father will find out about his grade and tries empathizing with him, admitting to getting 17 points. Anya says she does not know if her own father likes her, so she is also scared. Despite that, Anya believes in her father because she loves him, so she will use all her courage to tell him that she failed. Everyone is confused by Anya's speech, but it convinces Damian to stay and wait for Donovan.

While waiting for the event to end, the boys sit in the courtyard, eventually sitting on the grass to play card games. They encounter Loid Forger, who is searching for a sheep keychain that his daughter dropped. Having found the keychain earlier, Damian returns it to the man. The boys connect the dots and realize they are talking to Anya's father, calling him "Pops." Likewise, Loid recognizes Damian and kneels before the boy, apologizing for Anya’s behavior at the orientation. He tells Damian that he would also like to apologize to his parents, and at that moment, Donovan and his entourage arrive. Damian is surprised to see his father. One of the men asks Damian whom he is speaking with, and Damian explains who Loid is to him.

Damian and his friends stand in awe in Donovan's presence. After Loid introduces himself, he formally apologizes for the incident at orientation. Donovan recalls the incident and apologizes for being too busy to respond, and Damian thinks about how his father is paying attention to him. After Donovan declines Loid's offer to make amends, reasoning that it was a childish spat, Damian yells that Anya hit him, a Desmond, and asks if he is fine with that. Loid chimes in to, once again, try to make amends, but Donovan brushes him off.

Seeing that his father does not care, Damian tries expressing his humiliation to him, hoping for affection. However, Donovan responds with an exasperated sigh, unnerving the boy. Donovan continues this until Damian apologizes to him, and he smiles in response. Loid speaks up, saying Damian’s anger is justified. He proceeds to talk about Anya and her bizarre behavior. Hearing this, the boys unanimously think about how Loid has it rough. Loid then talks about the challenges of raising children and how uncontrollable they can be. Donovan concurs, saying that despite sharing your blood, your children are essentially strangers, people impossible to understand. He says that, in the end, people will never truly be sympathetic to each other. Damian is stunned to hear his father say this.

Loid agrees with Donovan's sentiment but says that despite everything, what is important is meeting the other in the middle. He relates this to how he tries to talk with Anya by acknowledging her. Loid steps forward to pat a dejected Damian’s shoulder and says that it may have been why Donovan took the time out of his schedule to meet with his son. Donovan supposes so, which surprises Damian. Loid then talks about Damian’s respect for his father, bringing up his school report on Donovan’s work, which he had secretly snuck a peek at in the school. Loid claims that it moved Anya so much that it was all she could talk about at home. He tells Donovan that he was touched by Damian’s respect and knowledge for his father's work as Party Chairman, praising the boy.

After commenting on his opinion of the National Unity Party, Loid wonders if he should attend one of the party’s seminars, again praising Damian’s report. An embarrassed Damian tells Loid to stop, and Loid happily apologizes. Before he leaves, Loid asks Damian not to tell Anya about their conversation. Loid says Anya is at an awkward stage, and if Damian thinks she hates him, Loid suspects otherwise and hopes they can get along. Damian shyly says he does not hate her, surprising his friends. He quickly gets embarrassed and yells at Loid to go away. Loid laughs him off and bids goodbye, leaving the Desmonds to talk.

Donovan looks to Damian, asking what his son wants from him. Damian starts getting nervous and says it was nothing. He struggles to get the words out, thinking back to Loid emphasizing the importance of creating a dialogue with others. As Donovan prepares to leave, Damian remembers Anya saying she will summon all her courage to tell Loid that she failed. Damian shouts out to his father, informing him of his Stella Star from the midterms, his 50 on his Reading test, and how the griffin he made in art class won first prize. Hearing this, Donovan congratulates him. Damian wonders aloud why Donovan agreed to see him. He is interrupted by Donovan, who says he acted on a whim and tells his son to think nothing of it. As he walks away, he tells Damian to continue striving not to besmirch their family name. Damian beams and agrees while Ewen and Emile cheer him on. After Donovan leaves, the boys gather together and make it their goal to earn more Stella Stars and become Imperial Scholars.

In the morning, an alarm at an Eden Academy dorm wakes its residents. Emile and Ewen wake up and tell Damian to do the same, or he will miss morning muster. After morning muster passes, Henry punishes Damian, tasking him with helping the dorm mother with chores and forbids him from leaving school grounds until he finishes. Behind the corner, Ewen and Emile watch worriedly.

As Damian helps the dorm mother, his friends come to check on him. Damian, who studied all night, wants to earn more Stella Stars, and Ewen says he is pushing himself too hard. They mention that their dorm tutor will take all the boys to the movies and get roast beef on the way back. Damian is firm on not going and will study instead, hoping for his father’s praise if he works hard to better himself. After being shooed away by the dorm mother, both Ewen and Emile purposefully loiter around the halls to also receive punishments.

Damian is surprised to see his friends join him, who say they will help him so they all can go to the movies. Damian tells them to go ahead without him, but they stay to help him do the chores anyways. Ewen adds that they can pretend to be Imperial Scholars, wrapping a sheet around himself like a cloak. While the boys play around, Damian looks at the sky in a daze. Mr. Green, the school custos, jokes that Damian has the face of someone who would rather be at a picnic, which an embarrassed Damian denies. Henderson decides to give the boys a new punishment for their tomfoolery while doing chores: going on a field research trip with Mr. Green.

Mr. Green takes the now frantic boys on a fast-paced canoe ride, planning to take them to a lake for a picnic. As Damian spots an approaching "waterfall," he accidentally falls off the canoe. When he cries for help, Ewen and Emile jump after him, only to end up in the same situation. They decide to let Damian survive to live their dreams, which moves him. Green interrupts, revealing that the water is shallow, and embarrasses the boys.

After starting a warm fire on land, Green tells them to catch some fish for dinner. With Green’s help, the friends prepare to fish. They look for bait and turn over a rock to find some earthworms, which frighten Damian. After Ewen and Emile chase Damian around with worms, they start fishing and successfully catch fish for each of them. As they enjoy their hard-earned meal, Green tells Damian that it is okay to enjoy oneself every now and then. After eating, he takes the boys to "Stella Lake," which Damian is excited to see.

Upon reaching their destination, the boys are amazed by the lake, where the stars reflect on its surface and look like they can be reached, hence the name Stella Lake. Damian is shocked there are no literal Stellas but denies that the trip was wasted. He, Ewen, and Emile lie down on the ground and look at the stars. While taking in the sight, Emile says the stars look like sugar sprinkled on the sky, which makes Damian burst into laughter. Green says they should be heading back and reminds them to write out a proper field report. After returning to the dorm, the boys go to bed and Damian sneezes while Henry and Green talk about his report.

Later, Damian wakes up an hour early before morning muster starts to go study. When he returns for muster, he explains to Ewen and Emile that last time was a fluke, which impresses them.

Damian and his friends overhear the gossip concerning the Pastries of Knowledge, made by a formal royal chef and can guarantee a spot as an Imperial Scholar, and rush to Dining Hall 2 to get some for themselves. On their way to line up, the group runs into Anya and Becky, who also have the same goal. The server announces that there is only one order left of the special Pierre Pommier Macaron set. The two groups try to be first to get the last set but are stunned when George has already ordered the macarons.

Damian and Becky rush up to George and demand that he gives the macarons to them. When George says they are his as he bought them with his allowance, the kids remind him what he owes them. George concedes to give up four macarons out of the set of five macarons. They realize they have five people and decide to have a round of Old Maid to determine who gets the macarons, the loser not receiving any. Anya asks what the rules are, to Damian's surprise, so Becky briefly explains the rules to her. The game begins, and Damian and Emile scheme to stick Anya with the Joker, but Anya unexpectedly wins the game flawlessly. Damian and his friends are in disbelief and accuse her of cheating. Damian thinks the only other explanation is that she can read minds if she is not cheating, shocking Anya. Anya panics and suggests they play another round.

During the new round, Anya starts by taking the old maid from Ewen's deck. Damian and his friends laugh at Anya, tempting her to hit them, but Becky calms her down. Damian's turn to take a card from Anya has arrived, and her facial expressions are very easy to read. Damian easily picks out another card from her deck. Everyone else gets rid of the cards, leaving only Anya and Damian. George comments that Damian is also terrible at the game, and he tells George to shut up. Damian observes her face to determine the right card to take when Anya suddenly begins to tear up, stunning him. George gives everyone their share of the macaron, except Damian, after purposefully taking the Joker at the sight of her crying face. Anya offers to share half of her macaron with Damian. Damian blushes and rudely rejects her in embarrassment, walking away. Anya becomes fired up after eating the pastry and studies excitedly until the quizzes the next day. When their results come back, Henry shows that Anya's quiz results are just as bad as before, and the other students stare at Anya in disbelief.

### Cruise Adventure Arc

After the students return to Eden Academy after their midterm break, Anya tells Becky about her cruise trip on *Princess Lorelei*, adding that she stayed at the third-class suite. Damian and his friends hear this and make fun of Anya for her peasantry. They then watch Anya trying to impress her classmates about her trip and are impressed by how much she makes herself look like a fool as she continues to make things up.

### WISE Arc

As the lives of the Berlint citizens are shown, Damian is seen at his dorm studying while Ewen and Emile have a pillow fight. Damian ignores their playing until he gets hit by a pillow, causing him to get mad and join in as he grabs his own pillows.

In class, Henry Henderson berates the student for the recent increase in tardiness and late homework assignments. As the students leave the class, Damian mocks Anya's tardiness and bets she will be the first to be expelled for getting eight bolts. Becky defends Anya and begins to bicker with Emile and Ewen, who declare that they will run through the school in their underpants if Damian gets a Tonitrus Bolt.

Before Damian can rebuke them, Bill Watkins runs towards them, warning them to run away before it is too late. Bill warns the students of Donna Schlag of the Disciplinary Committee. He explains her prior absence and a fearsome reputation for handing out Tonitrus Bolts for any infraction, rumored to have single-handedly expelled over a hundred students. He urges them to run away as his classroom has already fallen victim to 'Old Lady Tonitrus' and faints. Before the students can escape, Donna is already there and introduces herself, instructing everyone to line up and prepare for a bag inspection. Donna checks the bags, giving out Tonitrus Bolts for snacks and playing cards she finds. Damian is relaxed since he and his friends did not bring anything prohibited. To everyone's surprise, Donna punishes a student with a Tonitrus for not bringing a handkerchief.

Donna explains herself by recounting the tale of an honors student who wiped his hands on his pants after forgetting to bring his handkerchief, earning him the nickname of "Mr. Pee Pants" and eventually getting expelled as a troublemaker. The students quickly check for their handkerchiefs, including Damian, who is dismayed to find that he did not bring his handkerchief.

Damian starts to worry, imagining himself and his friends running around the school grounds in their underpants in humiliation. He thinks about asking Ewen for his handkerchief, but he cannot sacrifice his friend. He thinks of the worst, believing that if he gets even a single Tonitrus Bolt, he will never be able to face his father again. Understanding his plight, Anya lends Damian her handkerchief, reassuring him that she always brings two. Damian gets called for his inspection, and Donna notices the "A" monogrammed on the borrowed handkerchief, which he claims is the one in his name. Next, Anya confidently goes forward but quickly realizes she did not bring a second handkerchief, and Donna gives her a Tonitrus. Seeing Anya cry, Damian feels conflicted and tries to admit the truth, but Anya stops him. After the bag inspection, Damian tries expressing his gratitude in a roundabout manner, saying that paying her back will be a piece of cake. Anya misunderstands that she is getting cake, which annoys him.

### Friendship Schemes Arc

Following Becky's advice on how to get closer to Damian, Anya tries to bump into him while holding a yakisoba burger in her mouth, performing her "Friendship Crash." Damian elegantly slides out of her way, fully aware that she might do something like this. While Anya kneels on the floor with the food in her mouth, Damian and his friends make fun of her lowly appearance. Anya angrily shouts at them but accidentally spits the burger onto Damian's head, making his hair resemble hers. Emile and Ewen tease him for this, and Anya apologizes for wasting the food. An aggravated Damian yells at Anya, who is shocked. His friends warn him not to hit her, while Becky tells Anya they need to run.

The next day, Anya confronts Damian, demanding the cake she believes she was promised. Damian says he never promised her anything, then yells at her for demanding anything after she spilled noodles on him yesterday. Damian wonders if Anya has an ulterior motive but is relieved that she only wants cake instead of asking to meet his father. Anya suddenly changes her mind and says she wants to go to his house with her family. While Damian gets flustered, Becky tells Anya she is being too aggressive, and Ewen and Emile reject the idea of her family interacting with the Desmonds. In response, Anya says that Yor has become friends with Melinda Desmond, Damian's mother.

The others are shocked to hear this, and Damian demands to know if Melinda said anything about him. He thinks that if she learns about any of his dark preschool-era secrets, he is done for. Damian then thinks about said secrets, from wetting the bed to not sleeping without his favorite plush toy. Anya assures him that Melinda did not say much about him, and he quickly becomes stoic. Damian turns around in a huff and says Anya's family is no different from the rest, a bunch of flies buzzing around the Desmond name. Anya gets irritated and says she and her family are serious, referring to the mission, which Damian and Becky interpret as a romantic statement.

### Red Circus Arc

All first-grade students are seen in school buses heading to the museum. Damian feels disgusted to have to travel in an ordinary bus with so many "commoners" around him and later declines Bill Watkins's offer of becoming friends. Out of nowhere, Anya throws a piece of crumpled paper at Damian's head and makes a face at him. This act enrages him, and he throws it back at her face. Damian wonders if Anya is still mad about him not repaying her yet and thinks about giving her the treats he bought for her. As he takes it out of his backpack, Emile and Ewen notice it and ask Damian for some, screwing his chance to give it to her. George, sitting next to him, extends his hand asking him for some cake, but Damian angrily tells him no. Suddenly the bus starts to take another direction, and two strangers get on. One of them immobilizes the dorm tutor who was on the bus as their chaperone, shoots at their pursuers, then announces to the students that they, the Red Circus, have hijacked the bus, scaring Damian and the others.

Billy Squire walks through the bus with a shotgun in hand, frightening the children. Damian notices Anya getting dizzy, but before he can do anything, Bill gets up and tells his classmates to calm down. He reminds them that their parents are important people and that help is on the way. Billy points his rifle at Bill and tells him to be quiet, and the boy quickly shrinks to his seat. Regardless, Bill's words manage to calm the kids and gain a little bit of Damian's respect, who calls him hardcore.

Billy begins to say that everyone knows how important the children's parents are and calls out children from influential families, including Damian. He tells the students why they have been taken hostage: to use their lives to negotiate with the government. If they comply with his demands, the children will return home alive and unharmed. He menacingly tells them to pray that their parents will use their power to save them. Later, Anya manages to figure out where they are heading and, along with Becky, starts making an S.O.S. message. Damian notices their strange behavior, and he throws them a letter, asking what the girls are planning, and warns them not to do anything reckless or else they will get killed. Anya throws a reply telling him their plan, but it is illegible, so Becky writes it again and throws it at him.

Damian, aware of the plan, decides to create a distraction by telling Billy he has to poop. Billy is confused but thinks Damian is making a fool out of him, and he grabs him by the collar. Becky and Anya take advantage of the situation and throw the container out the window, which attracts the attention of some people who find out about their predicament. Billy notices what Becky and Anya did, so he releases Damian and angrily goes to his bag. Billy then grabs a strange collar and puts it on Anya. He reveals it to be a bomb, and while he threatens to blow it up if the students try anything else, Damian listens in shock.

After Billy orders the students to do as he says, Anya casually plops back to her seat and says she is hungry. Becky and Damian are shocked by Anya's lack of distress, and Damian wonders if she was raised by an assassin. Anya proceeds to taunt him by whacking on the bomb with her smug smile, which frightens everyone. After seeing Anya get dizzy afterward, Damian assumes she was doing it for show and did not want the others to be scared.

Damian decides to approach Billy and asks him to attach Anya's bomb to him instead. Damian reasons that because he is Donovan's son and popular among the kids, he is the perfect hostage. Damian then tells himself that he is the scion of the Desmond Family that will one day become a politician and protect his country. He adds that Donovan fought all kinds of enemies during the war and says he can fight too. Billy acknowledges Damian's courage and decides to honor it by also putting a bomb on him. Damian is shocked by this and nervously chuckles while Ewen and Emile worry for him. On the other hand, Anya happily says they match, which annoys him. Damian wonders why he was trying to save her the way he did but tells himself that those who lead must protect their compatriots, saying that Donovan must have done the same.

Damian tries to think calmly, but the fear of death gets the better of him, and he begins to think about the things he will never get to do, like becoming a politician or studying and playing soccer. Scared that he will die, Damian starts dropping some tears and thinks about his parents and how he wants to live. To his surprise, Anya holds his hand, assuring him that it will be okay and not to be scared. She then whispers to Damian that she overheard the terrorists saying the bombs are fake. Damian quickly denies his fear and her comfort, yanking his hand away from hers. Becky calls Anya mature for this, which makes her so proud that she knocks on her bomb. This scares Becky and Damian, who start calling Anya an idiot. Suddenly, they are interrupted by a loud pop, and the bus starts to swerve around. Damian angrily tells Anya that if he dies, he will haunt her forever when suddenly the bus makes a stop. The students are surprised to be unharmed, and shortly after, the bus is surrounded by police, whom the children are relieved to see.

Cornered by the police and the SSS, Billy orders the students to cover all the windows with black sheets. He then steps out of the bus with Damian in tow and tells the police that if they plan on doing anything, he will blow up everyone inside the bus. After stating his demands, Billy and Damian return inside. Damian walks back to his seat, embarrassed to have everyone see him like that, and worries that this will cause trouble for his father. Bill cheers him up, saying that while they are still kids, he did a great job keeping it together and that their only hope is to wait for their parents to do something. Emile and Ewen agree with him and also try cheering up Damian, but he calls Bill a 40-year-old grade-schooler, offending the boy.

After Billy notices some of the students squirming, he orders anyone who needs to go raise their hand as they will go outside to do their business at the shrubs, one at a time. Damian is put off by the idea, while Emile is the first to raise his hand, saying he really needs to go. Billy reminds him not to run away, which Emile will not plan on as he worries for Damian and the neck bomb. Master Henderson arrives with food and water supplies for the students, and everyone is relieved to see him. After receiving their rations, Damian and his friends complain about the food, but Bill and Becky tell them not to complain.

As night falls, Damian and the other students anxiously wait for their rescue. Suddenly, Anya gets up and approaches Billy, surprising Damian. Anya asks Billy for more rations, shocking everyone. Anya talks more with Billy, who removes Anya's bomb and orders her to leave. However, Anya refuses and demands the rations, making Damian wonder why she wants more. Billy asks Anya what motivates her, and she replies that she "wants to make a world where kids don't have to cry." A noble cause, but Damian and others point out how she is a kid. After some introspection, Billy ends up surrendering, to everyone's surprise. Vadim attempts to escape, then takes Anya hostage after that fails. However, he is quickly stopped, promptly ending the crisis.

Returning to Eden Academy, Damian, along with Anya, Becky, and Bill, each earns themselves a Stella Star for their courageous efforts during the hijacking crisis. While his classmates celebrate their achievements, Damian feels that he did not do much to deserve this, but Ewen and Emile praise him for his "crap my pants" ruse, which he quickly rejects.

Returning to the arrest of the Red Circus members, the hostages are freed from the bus while Damian stays behind to have his bomb removed. Damian is instantly relieved but quickly denies his feelings as he leaves the bus. Afterward, the students return home with their parents until only Damian and Anya are left. Damian tries to strike up a conversation, then thinks back to when Anya calmed him down on the bus. He commends Anya for what she did and apologizes for the things he did to her. Damian gets praised in return as Anya calls the time he asked for her bomb to be put on him a "hero move." Damian quickly gets flustered and says anyone would have done that, as that is how friends look out for each other.

Anya immediately proposes going to Damian's house the next day, claiming that friends do that, as well as introducing their parents and discussing world peace. Damian assumes Anya is only after his family's prestige and doubles back on calling her a friend. He then looks to the other children with their parents and says it is not worth trying to cozy up to him since he barely has a relationship with his parents, who cannot even pick him up. Anya pats his back in pity, and Damian retorts that her parents are also not there. Yor appears shortly after and comforts Anya as Damian and Henderson watch. Yor notices Damian and tells him that she saw Melinda on her way and should be arriving soon. A worried Melinda arrives, and Damian is brought to tears. Damian tries putting on a tough act, which Melinda dissuades. Damian asks her not to tell Donovan that he cried as he does not want to worry him. Melinda's face darkens as she agrees if Damian promises to tell "that man" that she did not come here.

In the present, Damian gets dropped off at school and meets with Emile and Ewen. Emile asks if Damian had a good time with his family, and Damian thinks back to his time at the Desmond Manor. Eating alone at the dinner table, Damian asks Jeeves if his mother will be joining him. Jeeves answers that Melinda returned to her own residence but mentions that she cooked every dish herself, surprising his young master.

Because of their deeds, Damian and Becky have risen in popularity among their classmates, most notably Anya (now going by "Double Starlight Anya"). Damian scoffs at Anya getting surrounded by their classmates, but Becky strikes a nerve when she suggests he is actually worried that Anya will get taken away from him. Refusing to admit his feelings, Damian tells his classmates how Anya is a commoner in an attempt to belittle her. However, this boosts her image as their classmates gain even more admiration for her. Intrigued by the lower class, the kids ask Anya what kinds of meals she eats, and she replies with the breakfast Yor made for her. Emile and Ewen look down on the notion of having parents cook for their children, but Damian does not feel the same, thinking about how good his mother's cooking was. Seeing this, Ewen notes that Damian has been "going sweet" on Anya lately, which he quickly denies.

Anya tries to impress her classmates further, and when she tries training them to be stronger, Damian butts in to stop them, and Anya directs her frustration toward Damian, calling him a jerk. Damian fires back by insulting Anya and her family, making the girl tear up a little. With this defeat, their classmates now believe that Damian and his family are superior, and Anya begins to bawl as she angrily shouts that she is supposed to be the stronger one. Damian apologizes to Anya and promises to buy her candy, which gets her to stop crying. Emile and Ewen are shocked by what he just did, but Damian reasons that properly apologizing makes him the stronger man, which Anya rebukes, and the two start bickering. Their classmates leave them behind, and the two end up arriving late to class.

### Mole Hunt Arc

Damian has prepared a bag containing the finest, rare, and elite tea cakes to give to Anya, intending to repay the debt he owes her for helping him get a Tonitrus from Donna Schlag, and during the hijacking crisis. Damian also hopes that after she eats the cakes, he will no longer have to bother with her and make her understand the gaps in their social standing. However, because of his pride as a Desmond (and embarrassment), Damian wants to find a way to give the cakes to Anya in private. Damian makes his first attempt to give Anya the cakes at the school entrance but stops after their respective friends show up. Anya suddenly asks if the bag is for her and accepts, but Damian denies the possibility of giving her anything before running away to class.

In class, Damian fails to think of ways to give the cakes to Anya without being seen. To his surprise, Damian receives a note from Anya, but he cannot read it. He then gets a new one, asking to meet at the courtyard during their break. Ewen and Emile believe this is an invitation to a duel, but seeing how this is his chance, Damian accepts. Before leaving for the "duel," Damian orders Ewen and Emile to stay behind. However, when both parties finally meet, they are annoyed that their friends also showed up and begin arguing. Damian and Anya agree to go somewhere else to be alone and run off, but their friends persist in chasing after them. After failing to lose them, Damian becomes frustrated and decides to stop trying to give Anya the cakes, but Anya grabs his arm from behind, saying that she does not want him to go, which makes Damian's heart flutter.

Damian questions what she is doing and if she wants to fight, but Anya tells him that she just wants to be his friend. Damian notices that Ewen, Emile, and Becky have disappeared, meaning that he can finally give Anya the cakes. Damian starts trying to explain what he is giving to Anya, but Henry interrupts, asking what they are doing since the warning bell has already rung. Henry takes the cakes and confiscates them as they are against the school rules, but Damian says he needs them. Henry then decides to punish them by making them come to his office after class, and Damian and Anya are upset at each other for getting in trouble with him.

After class, Damian and Anya write written apologies. After finishing them, Henry invites them to tea and takes out the cakes as well, surprising Damian. As they enjoy tea and cakes, Damian tells Anya they are now even. When Henry inquires, Damian says he cannot say, but Anya almost reveals that he forgot his handkerchief, which Damian quickly interrupts. Henry then notes how precious the cakes are, to which Damian says that he had his household staff send them over. He then thinks back to his phone call with Jeeves, who reveals that Melinda went through a lot of trouble to get them in the hopes that her son and Anya might get closer, shocking Damian. Damian questions how his mother knew, and while Jeeves does not know, he does say that Melinda seemed pleased about it, leaving Damian silent.

In the present, Anya says they can now be friends now that she has had her cake, which confuses Damian. Damian asks why Anya called him out in the first place and why she wanted him to come alone if it was not for a fight. Damian reimagines the scene of Anya clinging to him while saying that she wants to be friends, and he becomes flustered at the possibility that Anya likes him. Anya, suddenly feeling creeped out after seeing this mental image, changes her mind on being friends, but Damian says she cannot take it back. As they argue once again, Henry gets annoyed and orders them to be quiet and go home.

### Term Finals Arc

The term finals are finally looming over the first-year students of Eden Academy. When Becky reminds Anya that their test results will determine their next classes for the second term, Damian makes a jab at Anya, confident that he will never have to see her again due to the gap between them in their subject grades. A few days later, Damian and his friends see Anya and Becky on their way to school. Overhearing their conversation about their test prep, Damian thinks to himself that Anya will not beat him. On the first day of the exams, Damian sees Anya with a stubble, which she is explaining to Henry, and once again thinks to himself that there is no chance that she will beat him.

Five days after the exams, the results are posted outside. Emile urges Damian to hurry, but he tells him that racing over there will not change their ranking before doing just that. Looking at the overall rankings, Damian is shocked that Anya jumped from 213th to 168th place and believes that it was a fluke. After moving on to the subject rankings, Damian learns that he got the highest History score for their grade. Damian shouts out excitedly but quickly gets embarrassed as he says it is to be expected of him as a Desmond.

Looking at their Language Studies, Damian gets embarrassed when Emile comments that he did not even make the top ten, but everyone is shocked when they look at the Classical Language score and see that Anya is the second-highest scorer in the subject. Damian is completely astounded that she has beaten him in a subject, and his friends accuse Anya of cheating, but Becky explains that she has been getting good grades in their Classical Language quizzes. Later, when Anya begins panicking after getting a Tonitrus for failing Math, Damian watches with bewilderment.

On the day of the award ceremonies, Damian proudly receives his third Stella Star. As the middle schoolers have their ceremony, Damian looks around for someone, eventually waiting outside to meet them. It is revealed that Damian was waiting for his older brother Demetrius and attempts to make small talk with him, congratulating him on his awards. Demetrius asks Damian if that was all he had to say, then brings up Damian's Stella. Damian asks if their father had anything to say about it, but his older brother tells him that he would not know as he is not in regular contact with him.

Damian is confused, as he believed that his brother had a close relationship with Donovan, having heard stories of how close they were when Demetrius was younger. Damian thinks about how he thought that Donovan simply did not like spending time with him, but wonders if he really is too busy nowadays. With a look of resolve, Damian tells his friends that they will head back to class.

## References

*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 15, and Episode 10.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 8, and Episode 6.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 9, and Episode 7.
*SPY x FAMILY* Anime: Episode 10.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Short Mission 4, and Episode 10.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 16, and Episode 10.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 17, and Episode 10.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 23, and Episode 15.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 25, and Episode 17.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 26, and Episode 18.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 27, and Episode 18.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 28, and Episode 19.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 29, and Episode 20.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 36, and Episode 24.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 37, and Episode 25.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 38, and Episode 25.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 39, and Episode 27.
*SPY x FAMILY* Anime: Episode 28.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 42, and Episode 29.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 57, and Episode 35.
*SPY x FAMILY* Anime: Episode 37.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 61.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 66.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 67.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 69 (pp. 4-5).
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 69 (pp. 7-17).
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 70 (pp. 3-6).
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 70 (pp. 12-19).
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 71 (pp. 7-18).
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 72 (pp. 4-6).
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 72 (pp. 8-9).
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 72 (p. 14).
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 72 (pp. 21-23).
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 73 (p. 18).
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 74.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 75 (pp. 1-4).
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 75 (pp. 6-10).
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 75 (pp. 11-19).
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 76 (pp. 6-7).
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 76 (pp. 8-12).
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 76 (pp. 14-19).
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 88.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 92.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 93.