Winter's Question

Given Pandora's "skills," along with Ganatica's strength, which had been far greater than that of children his age since birth, the two of them should have made a formidable "bandit duo" in a place like Iron Bucket City. At the very least, if they casually joined any gang, neither Pandora nor Ganatica would have needed to rely on begging—the lowest means possible—to obtain the supplies they needed to survive.

However, because Ganatica's "mission" was to become a "righteous hero," Pandora could not possibly guide him onto the path of crime. Thus... begging was the only way the two of them could survive in Iron Bucket City.

Of course, begging was an extremely precarious way of life. Going hungry and being kicked or beaten were commonplace. After a month had passed, Pandora had no choice but to smear coal ash across her face to hide her beautiful appearance, while Ganatica, who had adapted to his new surroundings with remarkable speed, had also become much quieter.

On this silent, freezing night, the slender boy and girl curled up together for warmth inside a shack built from a few wooden boards. Though the tiny shack wedged between larger buildings was no longer ravaged by the bitter wind, the chill of Winter Season could still not be blocked by those thin planks.

Another harsh winter had arrived. In Iron Bucket City, brutal winters were always the best way to reduce the population. No one knew how many homeless drifters would freeze to death in the icy wind. At the very least, both Ganatica and Pandora could see numerous corpses being dragged out and laid along the streets every day, awaiting disposal.

Of course, the boy and girl inside the wooden shack did not need to worry about being killed by the cold. Pandora, a