After a few dozen minutes had passed since I had served tea to Irena-san, my mom and Hina returned home. As soon as they walked through the door, Irena-san repeated the same explanation she had given me to my mother. After listening carefully to Irena-san, my mom nodded her head.
"We'll be happy to take care of Nina-chan."
"Thank you very much."
Irena-san bowed deeply as she handed over Nina-chan's luggage and an envelope containing some living expenses to my mother. My mom, however, refused to accept the money.
I overheard her saying something like, "We help each other in times of need," and I couldn't help but think that we were able to refuse the money because we were well-off. Exorcists were known to make good money, but seeing how easily my family could take in someone else's child without hesitation made me realize just how comfortable we were financially.
