Chapter 2: Returnee 2
’Aunt Effie,’ he muttered under his breath.
After his parents died, he shut everything out. School, friends, even the sun.
He locked himself in his room and escaped into anime and games—that was the only place he felt normal.
Most of his relatives thought he was just being lazy and wasting his life. Even when he tried to explain, they called him weak minded.
Nobody wanted to deal with him. He bounced between homes until his youngest uncle took him in. That’s when he met her.
She was different. She never judged his hobbies.
Instead, she supported him in her own way.
Thinking back, he realized he’d never truly said thanks. Never found a way to show it.
But now?
"Aunt Effie, thanks for bringing me food again." He smiled, his eyes almost closing.
She was taken aback by his words. It was the first time he ever thanked her, and his smile looked so genuine.