章 47: Chapter 47 In Front of the Icon

Nina was happy, for she had not had a normal meal with Uncle Duncan like this in a long time, discussing the happenings at school, nor had she seen a smile on Uncle Duncan's face.

This even made her reminisce about the past, the days before her uncle became ill—ever since she lost her parents at the age of six, this man, akin to a father, had been her only kin in this world. However, for the past four years, an illness that even the doctors couldn't diagnose had transformed her uncle, and life during that time had been... frankly, quite hard to endure.

Uncle still paid for her schooling, maintaining her most basic life, but Nina could feel that all traces of "future" were gradually fading from this small, familiar, and cozy store, dissipating among the alcohol, pills, and those suspicious "friends" who met with her uncle in oppressively gloomy gatherings.