Thief!!! Get that thief!!!
Yup, you read that right.
"Hahaha," I laughed heartily while being chased by an old man.
My name is Uzui Tatsuya—that's what I'm called in this world.
I am a nine-year-old boy from the dreadful slums of what seems to be an isolated village. I'll fill in more information later, but I have to escape from this man first.
Together with two other slum boys, we ran through the usual crowded market street and then into a dark alley. The man didn't give up; he followed us down the path. Unfortunately for him, we disappeared as soon as we entered the alley. We know every single corner of the village as if it were the back of our hand.
We whizzed past people, dodging some and bumping into others. It wasn't a mistake—it was carefully planned. Those we bumped into were people neatly dressed and wearing expensive clothes. In the process, we pickpocketed them, taking some coins off their persons. This was almost a daily routine for us.
After covering some distance, we came to a stop at an abandoned house. This was our secret base, where we calculated the loot for the day before heading back to the slums. Not everyone in the slums had access to this location, primarily because we were the older ones there, but we needed to keep this base as secret as ever because it housed a lot of treasures.
From within our ragged clothes, we pulled out multiple food items, fruits, and much more.
"We got ourselves a great haul," said a chubby boy named Pachi. Despite his size, he is quite a fast runner.
"Yeah, at least it's better than last time," added Pacho, Pachi's twin brother. The three of us, along with Nana, grew up together. All four of us were close friends and partners in crime.
Robbery, kidnapping, and murder—we were involved in them all. My best moments were when we murdered a ten-month-old chicken; it had enough meat. And when we robbed the old man who sold fruits and veggies. As for kidnapping, we usually took them alive before killing them—baby chicks, mostly, and sometimes baby pigs.
Our job was dirty.
"You guys are back!"
A girl walked into the base. That was Nana. Not only does she have a weak body, but she's also a girl, so it felt weird sending her to the front lines where the real action took place.
"Nana, you got the baskets, right?" I asked.
She dropped three baskets made of dried palm fronds, and we began neatly packaging the stolen goods into the baskets.
Next up was the hardest and most crucial part of our job: shipping.
"You got the clothes ready?" I asked Pachi.
"Definitely, boss."
Yeah, I forgot to mention—they call me 'boss' for some reason.
"Boss, did you get the medicine?" Pacho asked.
I pulled out a small pouch containing a substance. "Got it right here."
We changed into new clothes for a perfect disguise. Slum kids are known for countless features: dirty clothes, extreme bad odor, filthy hair, and unkempt appearances. So, we tried to reduce some of these well-known features.
We dressed in new clothes, covered our hair, and washed our faces and feet.
"We're set, boss," Pachi said.
I scanned them quickly and, satisfied, nodded.
"You guys remember the plan, right? Pachi and Pacho, you two take the rear wing. I'll take the middle. Nana, you stay here—I'll return to get you. Alright, let's move."
Under my orders, we set out. The middle path was the main street that led to different parts of the town. It was usually crowded and had tight security.
I chose that street because, if Pachi or Pacho messed up, I would get the majority of the security's attention. I didn't choose this path because I was the leader or anything like that; it was simply because I was the fastest and could last longer—thanks to the boost I received from the weird light guy.
With the basket on top of my head, I moved cautiously but freely down the street. My eyes scanned the area. As expected, it was crowded and tightly secured, with ninjas moving in groups and some patrolling solo.
It didn't take long before I left the village center and arrived at the slums, just outside the main village.
"It's big bro!"
"Big brother is back?!"
"Yes, it's big brother!"
Some other kids rushed toward me.
"You made it, boss," Pacho said.
I looked around and noticed Pachi wasn't there.
"Pachi?" I asked.
"He hasn't arrived yet."
I was sure he hadn't been captured. Even though he's the slowest among us, he's still quite fast and tricky.
"Let me know when he returns. I've got to go drop this off."
"Sure, I will."
I removed myself from the flock of kids around me and made my way deep into the slums, to our storage. In the slums, we were like one big family. Almost everything was shared among each household.
"You made it back as usual, Tsu-kun," a woman in her twenties called out to me. It was Nana's mother.
"Yeah, the mission was smooth as always, and this time we got more than usual." I shook the basket in my hands before dropping it.
"Hahaha…"
She laughed.
Oh, how I loved that smile.
"Your mother has been waiting for you. Go check on her now."
"Yeah, I will."
"What about Nana?" she asked.
"I'll go get her right away."
"Please do—it's time for her afternoon medication."
I left the storage and headed straight home—a small, tattered hut made of clay and straw. On my way, I passed a couple of old women and made sure to greet them respectfully.
Speaking of genders, there were no men around. Not that the slums were only inhabited by women, but the men went back to the main village to work on heavy-duty jobs.
Yes, they earned some money that could be used for feeding, but if we depended solely on their earnings, we'd all be dead within a couple of months. They weren't paid enough, and sometimes they weren't paid at all.
I slid the curtain open and entered the hut. There, in front of me, my mom lay on a mat. She had become emaciated, and it all started immediately after my birth. I always felt kind of guilty about it.
"I'm back, Mom."
"Is that you, Tsu?"
"Yeah, it's me."
"I hope you weren't hurt."
"I wasn't. More importantly, I brought your medicine."
I brought out a wooden plate and mixed the medicine with water. Moving closer to Mom, I fed her the mixture.
"Thank you, Tsu."
"No problem, Mom. Please get well soon."
I sat cross-legged on the floor, looking at my mom's frail figure. Guilt overshadowed my thoughts as always. I felt like apologizing countless times, but I couldn't voice it. Instead, I did whatever it took to get her back to health. I consulted doctors, but none agreed to treat her for free. Those who were kind-hearted enough told me what was wrong and the medicine she needed. I went to great lengths to steal those medicines, but none of them worked.
I was truly exhausted.
"Tsu, it's time to stop."
That came out of nowhere.
"What do you mean, Mom?"
"I said it's time to stop—"
Cough… cough…
She sounded weak and dry.
"I can't stop. I need to get you healthy again. Until I do that, I won't stop."
"Please stop. Rather, focus on your future. Have a dream, have a vision—don't let me hold you back."
She was right. It had been nine years, and I hadn't thought about anything like that. My only focus was her recovery. I needed to think about my future. My goddess was waiting for me, but still…
"I can't leave you, Mom."
"Tsu… come here."
I crawled toward her, and she wrapped her arms around me. Her body was cold, her bones prominent under her skin. I doubted she was only twenty-three years old.
"You need to let go of me, got that? Think of your future. Have a dream and work toward it. You already have people around you—protect them, protect your friends. Do that for me."
Just then, Pacho barged into the hut.
"Boss! There's a problem—they've got Pachi!"