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#014. Children of the Street (4)
“After you defeat Cedric and become the new leader of the pack.”
“… … .”
Ray met Philip’s gaze.
An unknown kind of strong desire was shining in the eyes of this small boy.
I lowered my head and looked at the bowl.
It was easier this way than trying to capture the signals displayed on the face.
‘Black Mana has decreased. It was afraid of me. Is it gaining courage?’
The proportion of yellow mana instead of black has increased significantly.
A bright yellow like sunlight.
It was a color that only seeped into the bowl when one had strong conviction and self-confidence.
“You don’t think I’ll lose, do you?”
“I can’t rule out that possibility. But there’s a very high chance that you’ll win. From what I’ve seen.”
“Why?”
The yellow mana expanded.
The color became darker and completely drove out the black mana.
“It’s my gut feeling.”
“Intuition?”
“As I said, I like observing people. If I look closely at their behavior or habits, I can figure out what kind of person they are. Not completely, but to some extent. For example.”
Philip leaned forward and whispered.
“In your case, when you talk to someone, you tend to look down. Should I say you look at their chest rather than their eyes? I don’t know why. I think you have some kind of trauma related to people’s eyes or faces.”
I took a deep breath.
“And when you turn a corner, always step with your right foot first. I think this is a subconscious way of preparing for when an enemy appears. You’re right-handed.”
“… … .”
It was quite a novel experience.
It’s not like I’ve never been evaluated by others before.
“You’re scary. Something’s wrong.”
“A fearless guy.”
“How about joining our organization? After you become an adult in a few years?”
But all of those impressions were superficial, to the point of being cold or scary.
It was the first time I heard such a detailed and in-depth analysis.
Especially in the case of the right foot, wasn’t it a habit that you weren’t even aware of?
Ray pulled his body forward.
I wanted to hear more of the story.
I thought that maybe this could be a clue to broadening the range of emotions.
By knowing yourself.
Currently, I am in a state where I can barely feel any emotions other than anger and sadness even if I concentrate.
“Anyway, back to the main topic, I have an eye for people. I can guess possibilities based on the information I have. The person I saw was sufficient─.”
“Other than that?”
“huh?”
“Have you noticed any other habits of mine besides that?”
“Uh… there are a few more.”
Philip adjusted his glasses and gave some more analysis.
Movement patterns when walking down the street.
How to be alert while eating.
Inferences based on other small gestures.
“Cedric tends to get too emotional when he fights. But you’re different. I would say you fight by thoroughly reading and calculating your opponent’s movements.”
Also, the reason why Ray decided that he had no choice but to defeat Cedric.
Of course, it was nothing compared to the professional analysis provided by a psychiatrist.
But it was true that it was a very sharp and keen guess to assume that a street child got off alone.
“… So that’s what I think.”
Ray nodded.
Listen to the story, slowly and continuously.
I felt like I had discovered a side of myself that I didn’t even know I had.
“I will accept your offer.”
“Huh? Huh? Without even hearing more? Like the terms of the bribe or something like that….”
“That’s up to you. Just don’t think about beating me up.”
“Okay! Of course!”
Philip smiled broadly.
“And there is one more condition.”
“What conditions?”
“Is it possible to gather rumors and information from the streets? By having the kids here do it.”
*
Lunch two days later.
A garbage dump where the sun beats down hotly.
“I guess the rumors about it coming from Sector 50 are true. Judging by the shape of the car, I’d believe it if you said it really came across the wilderness.”
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A boy’s voice was heard from under Ray’s car.
A mobile board with wheels.
Above it, only two legs were sticking out.
“… … .”
Ray placed a chair in front of it and watched the maintenance.
I didn’t sense any particular ill will from the other person, but I had to be careful since the vehicle was the most important thing on the trip.
The sound of metal clashing and wrenches turning continued to echo from underneath the car.
Clank. Clank. Creak!
A moment of silence.
And the sigh that escapes.
Then a voice was heard.
“It seems Philip really likes you. He rarely sends away high-level personnel like me.”
Even though Ray didn’t respond in any particular way, the boy continued to talk to himself stubbornly.
It seems like that was his original personality.
“Oh! Could you please give me that wrench over there? And the 6mm nut.”
“… … .”
A tool bag was spread out horizontally next to the car.
Ray floated the wrench and nuts under the car using a salt shaker.
“Huh? You were next to me? Did I bring it in?”
The boy tilted his head under the car, picked up a wrench, and continued to work on it.
Click! Creak!
Static again.
Another sigh and a voice.
“Can I ask you this? Why did you leave Sector 50 and come here? Judging from the fact that you applied for the Grand Battle, it seems like you’re thinking of settling down.”
That wasn’t it.
Ray had no intention of staying in Sector 49 for long.
Once the sector exploration was over and the minimum objectives were achieved, I planned to move on to the next sector right away.
The vacant leadership position will be taken by the remaining people through a competition of strength.
Crunch. Creak─ Crunch!
Finally, the maintenance was over and the boy got up from the plank that had been pushed out with a thud.
His face and clothes were covered in black grease, but he just shook it off a few times, so he seemed quite used to this kind of thing.
“It’s all done. There’s nothing major wrong with it other than the engine overheating a little. But I replaced the coolant with a much better one, so there shouldn’t be any problems in the future.”
The boy shook the empty can and chuckled.
“I snuck it from the store I work at. It’s the most expensive one.”
“great job.”
“What’s the trouble? Please, Philip. Philip is like a benefactor to us.”
The boy added, rummaging through his tool bag.
“If it weren’t for Philip, it would have been impossible to find a job. That’s why I don’t complain about having my income taken away. Well, it’s not that high of a percentage.”
Philip was popular with street children.
“… … .”
It was amazing.
Even in Sector 50, large groups would pay something like a tax to the leader.
But it was all done under duress.
There were many cases where people were lynched after trying to avoid paying taxes or running away from the group.
However, it is said that the hotel children often voluntarily give Philip more of their income.
While Ray was reminiscing about his past memories.
“Oh! Right! I almost forgot the most important thing. Philip asked me to give you this.”
The boy took a neatly folded note out of his pocket and handed it over.
“They said it was difficult to memorize it verbally. That’s why I sent you a note. I’ll tell you, and you’ll read it yourself.”
Today, Philip was busy with work and couldn’t visit Ray in person.
“See you later, Hunter. I’m looking forward to fighting Cedric.”
The boy packed his bag and left the dump, waving his hand behind him.
Ray went into the car, unfolded the note he had been handed, and read it.
“Number 2 street.”
“Wolfman of Wolf Bakery.”
“42 year old baker. Male.”
「… … … … .」
“8th Street.”
“Andrew of Kenny Stores.”
“23 year old clerk. Male.”
「… … … … .」
Profiles of the residents of Sector 49.
There were seven people in total.
Ray recalled his memories from two days ago at the hotel.
“Magic? I know what it is. I’ve heard of it.”
“Uh… You’re looking for a wizard?”
“Okay. If there’s anyone who looks even a little suspicious, I’ll gather all the information.”
“It won’t take long. I’ve already gathered information about the characteristics of the people here.”
The note was a result of Ray’s request.
‘I didn’t know it would be this fast.’
I heard it wouldn’t take long, but I never expected to get results in just two days.
This was possible because the hotel’s young workers were spread out almost throughout the sector and were also highly loyal to Philip.
Underneath each profile was written in detail the reasons why the resident was suspected of being a wizard.
“I’m carrying a heavy sack with one hand.”
“Chewing and eating dry wheat bread without changing facial expression.”
“… … .”
There were many things that were too ambiguous to be called magic.
This is probably also information that Philip has selected and compiled.
But in the end, Ray was satisfied with the contents of the note.
Among them, there were some truly meaningful eyewitness accounts that could be considered magical.
It was worth going to the local residents and checking in with them directly.
This was much more efficient than just wandering the streets alone.
Squeak─ bang!
Ray closed the door and headed out into the street.
*
Ray shook his head as he watched the clerks hurrying around the grocery store.
Andrew is ruled out of the running.
He didn’t look like a wizard at all.
‘More than anything, there is no ring on my chest.’
It’s the ring that the one-eyed wizard had on his chest.
Although I have used magic without a ring, I don’t think that would be common.
Jiik. Jiik.
An X was crossed out over ‘Andrew’ on the note.
One by one they were erased, and now only one remains.
“Number 2 street.”
“Building 32-1. Empty store.”
“Name unknown. Male.”
“Between 30s and 40s.”
“They are often seen going up and down the ground and underground with food. It is assumed that they live in the underground level.”
Although the information was scant, Ray thought this was the most likely.
“A strong wind blew when a pipe fell from upstairs, preventing an accident. He didn’t seem that surprised.”
Because the last target had the most plausible eyewitness account.
Ray put the note in his pocket and quickened his pace.
Take the shortcut and go down the street.
Across the street and back into the alley.
I haven’t looked at the entire sector yet.
However, since I passed by this route over and over again, I became quite familiar with the geography.
And when I came back out onto the streets.
A familiar sign appeared next to my field of vision.
“Veronica’s Bookstore.”
The door was closed today too.
Maybe the store is going bankrupt and is preparing to close.
No matter how I looked at it, I thought it was likely because books weren’t the type of thing that would sell in Sector 49.
‘I should also ask Philip for information about the bookstore.’
I was thinking that as I quickly passed by the bookstore.
“Okay. The door didn’t open today either.”
“I couldn’t even endure it. How could I endure it when they threw rocks at me every day?”
A conversation coming from a nearby alley caught my ear.
Ray didn’t stop walking, but glanced around to check the owners of the voices.
Three boys of similar age were standing at the entrance of the alley, looking in the direction of the bookstore.
Ray’s steps slowly slowed.
It came to a complete stop, out of sight of the opponent.
I listened in and eavesdropped on the conversation.
“Isn’t that all we need to do? We’ve been locked out for weeks already.”
“Idiot. I told you I’d double your money if you made me put the store up for sale. You can’t stop here.”
A moment of silence.
The conversation that follows follows.
“How? Throw more stones?”
“Yeah. This time, I’m going to throw it to the second floor. Not to the store, but to the house. I’m going to make sure you can’t move without it.”
“There’s no need to worry about being hacked. This store is full of sick old people and children anyway.”
The meeting was over, the conversation stopped and there was a rustling sound.
Soon three boys appeared outside the alley, each hand full of rocks.
And then he started walking straight away.
With confident strides, I headed towards the bookstore Veronica.