The air was thick with smoke and dust, and my stomach reminded me again that I had eaten nothing since yesterday. Yorknew's streets smelled of fire, rotting food, and sweat. I kept low, shadowing the alleyway where the smaller gangs met to trade scraps and stolen coins. The sunlight hit the cobblestones in stripes, and I could see the way people moved without noticing me.
I ducked behind a crate, peering at the group. Three boys argued over a few coins. I could hear their voices, quick and sharp. "I found it first!" one shouted. "No, mine!" another argued. The third laughed, holding the coins like a trophy.
I could have walked in, grabbed the coins, and disappeared. My hands itched. My mind calculated. But I waited, letting them fight it out. Observation was my weapon today, not my hands.
A small girl stepped forward suddenly, trying to mediate. "Stop it! You'll get caught!"
The boys ignored her, and she flinched back. I swallowed. Some people had courage in small packages. Maybe someday I would learn to do more than watch.
By late morning, hunger drove me further into the heart of the city. The auction district was alive with chaos, as always. Merchants shouted their goods while buyers haggled, bargaining aggressively. I slipped through the crowd, blending in as best I could. My eyes scanned constantly. Every twitch of a hand, every nervous glance, every subtle movement was information I could use.
A man brushed past me, and I felt the familiar pull of attention. He paused, his eyes lingering on me longer than necessary. I froze, pretending to adjust my coat. The man grunted and moved on, but not before whispering, "Kid, keep your eyes open. There are bigger fish in this pond than you realize."
I exhaled slowly. Bigger fish, he had said. That was always the way of Yorknew. Every corner, every alley, every crowd had a predator hidden somewhere. I just needed to learn their patterns.
Around noon, a figure with pink hair appeared again. She seemed to materialize from nowhere, her eyes sweeping the auction district. She noticed me immediately.
"You're still hanging around here," she said. Her tone was flat, but her gaze felt heavy.
"I… I'm just trying to learn," I replied carefully. My heart raced. I wanted to run, hide, vanish into the crowd. But something told me she was testing me.
"Learning is fine," she said. "But knowledge without action is useless. Do you want to survive in this city, or do you want to waste your days?"
Her words cut through me. I clenched my fists under my jacket, trying to steady my shaking hands. "I want to survive," I whispered.
She nodded once, almost imperceptibly, then turned and disappeared into the crowd again. Her presence lingered in my mind like a puzzle I could not yet solve.
I wandered deeper into the alleys, where small-time gangs ran scams and street fights were common. My eyes caught movement near a pile of crates. Two boys tried to snatch a wallet from a man sitting on the steps. The man noticed immediately and snapped, "Hey! Drop it!"
The boys froze, and I saw the moment of hesitation. That was my chance. I stepped forward from the shadows, voice clear and firm. "Leave him alone!"
The smaller thief turned to me, eyes wide. "Who's gonna make us?"
"You will regret it if you don't," I said, keeping my tone steady. My body tensed, ready to run or react if necessary.
The man on the steps smiled faintly, as if he had been waiting for help. One of the boys dropped the wallet and ran. The other hesitated but soon followed. I exhaled, letting my pulse slow. Yorknew was teaching lessons constantly, even in moments that seemed minor.
By afternoon, I had learned several new routes through the city. Each alley, each market corner, each canal edge had its own rhythm. Yorknew City was alive, and if I moved with it, I could survive. My stomach still ached, but I had gathered enough scraps to make a small meal. I crouched in the shadow of a warehouse, breaking bread into pieces, my eyes never leaving the street.
I noticed patterns in movement, in sound, in even the wind brushing through the alley. My senses felt sharper than yesterday. Something was changing. Something inside me that I could not yet name was stirring.
I could feel it in my hands, in the way I calculated distance and reaction time. Every step, every glance was part of a bigger picture. The city was a board, and I was no longer just a pawn.
Evening fell, and the city transformed. Lanterns flickered along streets, shadows deepened, and smaller gangs became bolder. I stayed near a corner, watching. A boy no older than me tried to pickpocket a merchant. The man spun around and slapped him hard. The boy cried out and ran. I noticed the rhythm of this merchant, how he anticipated movements, how his eyes darted to every corner. Observation was everything.
A voice whispered behind me. "You're quiet, but you're watching everything."
I spun around. A man with a leather coat and a small dagger in his belt stood there, smiling faintly. "You learn fast, kid. But fast learning can also be dangerous."
"Who are you?" I asked, voice wary but curious.
"Someone who's been where you are," he said, eyes scanning the street. "Keep your eyes open. You're surrounded by threats. Some you will see, some you will not. Survival depends on noticing the unseen."
I nodded, swallowing hard. His words felt like a warning and an invitation at the same time. I had to be ready.
Night deepened. Yorknew's streets were quiet in some areas, chaotic in others. I returned to my crate, my blanket wrapped tightly. Hunger, fatigue, and a strange exhilaration pressed against me. I had learned, observed, survived, and moved without being caught or noticed. That was a victory.
Something deep inside me was changing. My mind replayed the day, noting patterns, movement, decisions, and consequences. I could almost feel the stirrings of what might be called a Hatsu, though I did not know it yet. Awareness, observation, and calculation—they were the first steps.
I whispered to myself, firm and clear: "I will survive. I will play the game. I will learn the rules before anyone else does."
The city hummed around me, alive and dangerous, full of secrets, predators, and opportunities. The board was set. The pieces moved constantly. And I was no longer just a stray pawn.