"I will definitely see your effort. And you must know the consequence of failure. Yesterday I told you that if you couldn't count to one hundred, you'd have to stand in the field. That's also a lesson, that you must always keep your promises."
Kai kept bowing. He was still terrified of being sent back to Omino. He didn't want to return there. He would do anything to avoid it.
Mrs. Manu left Kai standing in front of the statue of St. Julian, outside the dormitory building.
"Don't even think about cheating. I'll be back at lunchtime," Manu warned.
Kai only nodded obediently. He was prepared for this. He glanced at Manu as she walked out the gate, then bowed his head again.
His eyes drifted to the pond in front of him. The marble base of the statue stood firm in the middle of the rippling water, where fish occasionally surfaced from behind wide lotus leaves.
