Chapter 31: Your Hardships Are Yet to Come

The next morning, the campus was serene and quiet.

Azu and Clark passed by a farm produce kiosk in front of the school known as the "Honey Hole." The brick-red structure looked weathered and worn, its paint peeling and colors faded. The letters on the sign had long since worn away, leaving only the remnants of the name. Azu dropped a dollar into the box at the kiosk and took a few honey sticks. Ever since Peter had bought him one during a previous walk, he had developed a taste for them.

Clark looked at the honey stick Azu handed him and asked in surprise, "Where did you get the money?"

"My dad pays me for weeding. A dollar every time," Azu explained, proud that his money was earned through honest labor. "Though Dad recently said he’s launching a 'wage and labor incentive program.' He’s turned all the weeding tasks over to me for seven dollars a week." Azu, unaware that his "capitalist father" was exploiting him, felt quite pleased with the arrangement.

Clark felt a twinge of envy; he wanted to earn money just like Azu. "Maybe I could help my godfather clean the barn. I could earn some pocket money that way, too." Clark decided he would join his godfather’s "wage and labor incentive program."

"We could definitely earn money together, Clark, but..." Azu’s expression turned gloomy. "I should have ten dollars by now, but Dad said I shouldn't carry that much cash. He told me he’s putting it in the bank for me, saying he’d keep it safe."

Clark thought for a moment and said, "I think that’s a good idea. Doesn't the bank make your money grow?"

At that moment, Clark did not know that one of the deepest traps in the world is the excuse parents use to collect their children's pocket money: "Mom and Dad will save it for you until you’re grown up." Without exception, by the time you grow up, you find that the money your parents "saved" has vanished into thin air.

Unaware of the trap, Clark and Azu walked toward the school, munching on their honey sticks. Just as they reached the school gate, they saw Lana saying goodbye to her aunt.

"Goodbye, Auntie!"

After waving farewell, Lana slung her backpack over her shoulder and headed toward the school. She accidentally tripped over a pebble and fell to the ground with a thud. Her backpack flew off, and her books scattered everywhere.

Seeing Lana fall, Clark rushed over with a speed Azu had never seen before. "Lana, are you okay?" He helped her up as she winced in pain.

"I'm fine, just a little fall. Thank you, Clark," Lana said, biting her lip to suppress the pain in her bruised knee as she thanked him.

Seeing that she was alright, Clark hurriedly helped her gather the scattered books. As he bent down, he suddenly spotted a green pendant on the ground. The stone, glowing with an eerie green light, looked just like the one his godfather had shown him before. Curious, he reached out to pick it up.

Instantly, a wave of weakness washed over him, as if all the strength had been drained from his body in a single heartbeat. He lost control and collapsed backward, the green necklace slipping from his fingers and hitting the ground with a clatter.

"Thud!"

Just as he was about to hit the ground, a thick, strong hand caught his back. "Are you alright, kid?" a deep voice boomed.

After regaining his balance, Clark looked back. The school security guard—an elderly Black man with a pale, steel-wool-like beard—was looking at him with concern. Clark recognized him as the guard he had met on his first day at school. He remembered everyone called him "Old Hori," and he had even imagined him as the demonic guardian of an evil castle back then.

"I... I just got a little dizzy, Mr. Hori. I'm fine now," Clark said, rubbing his forehead and thanking the old man.

Lana bent down to pick up the necklace, approaching Clark with a worried expression. It was a keepsake from her mother, which was why she always wore it. Seeing Clark nearly collapse after touching it, she feared he had been cut by the pendant.

Old Hori put away his clipboard and squinted. "You don't look so good, kid. You should go to the infirmary for a check-up." As the school guard, he felt responsible for student safety and insisted on escorting Clark to the nurse's office. Though Clark was reluctant, the decision was non-negotiable.

As Old Hori walked away after dropping Clark off, he glanced at the necklace in Lana's hand, his expression growing complex.

...

At the Padric Farm, Peter received a call from Chandler at the police station. Chandler updated him on Officer Lane’s pursuit of the serial robber the previous night.

"Smallville River?" After hanging up, Peter fell into deep thought. Could this guy be the "mer-man" from the story he had told Azu last night? He shook his head, casting the absurd thought aside. Still, he could conclude that the suspect was a strong swimmer and intimately familiar with the terrain around the Smallville River.

Just as he was pondering the robber's identity, the farm phone rang. When Peter heard that something had happened to Clark, he grabbed his coat and rushed to the school.

Driving toward the school, Peter heard the sound of babbling water as he drew near. Two minutes later, the towering trees gave way to a rugged, grassy riverbank. The waters of the Smallville River surged forward. As the road curved again, Peter arrived at the school.

In the infirmary, Peter knocked and entered. Martha McConner, the assistant teacher for Clark and Azu, was waiting inside. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw Peter arrive.

Feigning that he was meeting her for the first time, Peter greeted the strikingly beautiful teacher before turning his attention to Clark and Azu.

"Are you feeling unwell, Clark?" He asked, brushing the hair from Clark's forehead.

"I'm fine now, Godfather," Clark said, lying on the bed. He leaned in and whispered, "Godfather, it was that stone."

"What stone?"

"Lana's necklace. I picked it up to return it to her and suddenly felt the world spinning. The stone you showed me before, Godfather... I feel like it's the same as Lana's necklace."

"Hmm..." Kryptonite?

Realizing that Lana’s necklace was indeed kryptonite, Peter understood the implications. Since she wore it as a necklace, she would be carrying it around constantly. And considering Clark’s "infatuation" with Lana...

He suddenly felt like telling his "cheap" son: "Cherish these days, kid. Your real suffering is yet to come."