"Constitution: inferior." As the examiner spoke, he wrote that assessment on the test form. The boy remained expressionless; even his gaze did not waver in the slightest.
Yet, upon closer inspection, one would see blood dripping from his tightly clenched fists, where his fingernails had dug too deeply into his palms.
"But you needn't worry too much. This is only the first test. There are seven or eight more in the full examination. Take them all—perhaps there may be a different result."
"Yes, I understand."
"Mm, good. Best of luck... Next!"
The examiner saw many boys like this every day and did not pay him much heed. After giving him a slightly sympathetic glance and a few words of encouragement, he called for the next child to be tested.
"My constitution really is no good." Walking slowly out of the testing room, the boy let out a soft sigh in the corridor.
Looking around, he saw a long human dragon already lined up in the corridor. Quite a few children had gathered there, chirping and chattering about something.
Naturally, there were also those who did not like talking, or children who disdained chatting with others. They stood in corners with indifferent expressions, occasionally lifting their heads to look around before lowering them again, no one knew what they were thinking.
I won't give up, the boy told himself quietly.
As he turned to leave and watched the people below approach full of hope, his heart ached terribly.
Though he had steeled his resolve never to give up before the very last moment, that hope still felt painfully slim.
Leaving the hall for the first test, he found the sunlight outside fairly bright. Yet when the winter wind blew, his already slight body could not help trembling.
His stomach was empty.