Cahpter 6

Rio! If yer still not better, we'll sell ya off as a

slave. The only thing y'got goin' fer ya is yer devil's luck and pretty face, after all," the leader said gleefully, already well on his way to being drunk. The underlings roared with laughter, as if he had said something hilarious.

"Oh, stop picking on children!"

The woman pouring the drinks said

exasperatedly, but Rio continued walking out the door of the shack without looking back. He closed the door behind him.

"Rio."

Rio turned back to sound of his name being called. The door reoped immediately, and the woman pouring the drinks stepped out.

"Get yourself some breakfast with this. It should be enough for some stale bread and broth." the woman said, placing three small copper coins in his hands.

"...Are you sure about this,Gigi." said rio looking up at the woman called 'Gigi'.

"Yes." said Gigi to rion. Gigi was the prostitute the leader favored the most. She was also on amicable terms with Rio, often looking out for him the most.

"...Thank you very much, Gigi" Rio said with a soft smile.

"It's okay, just come plat with me when your a little older okay."

"Haha..." Rio laughed awkwardly.

"I'm jus kidding. I've told you before, that I have a neice the same age as you, right?, you remind me of her, thats all. I'm going to quit the job soon anyway." Gigi explained with a shrug.

"I'm opening a shop with Angela, my little sister. Come visit us someday." she said with a soft smile.

Rio had heard about from Gigi before. Gigi and her, Angela, where working as prostitute while saving to open their own store. Rio intended on paying her back someday, but just as he opened his mouth to tell her so —

"You seem different today ... did something happened to you." Gigi asked with wide eyes.

"Huh?Umm... I'm not sure what you mean," Rio answered uncertainly and tilted his head. He was startled.

"So you can make that kind of face, too. Your

pretty face looks much better when it isn't sulking," Gigi said cheerfully.

"Er... sure," Rio hesitantly agreed. "I'll keep that in mind, I guess."

" Alright off you go, they'll get mad if I talked to you too long."

"Right. thank you. For everything."

Rio bowed his head deeply.

◇ ◇ ◇

The time was still early morning.

The worn-down wooden shack sat in the chaotic rows of the slums, where the air was characteristically stagnant. Nevertheless, the shining rays of the morning sun managed to make everything feel a bit better.Although the men had ordered Rio to wash himself, there was no proper bathing area in the slums. He needed to leave the area and walk to the closest well if he wanted to clean himself. The capital of Beltrant was split into multiple blocks by walls that surrounded the castle in the center. Entering the city required both a permission form and an entry fee. Naturally, living within the walls was safer and more comfortable, but that was only possible for the rich and powerful; it was a sign of greater wealth to live closer to the castle. Meanwhile, travel between districts outside of the walls was completely free. The people who couldn't live inside the walls could be found in these areas instead. Although they weren't as safe, they showed different growth compared to the districts inside the walls. The slums were located in the outskirts of the district outside the castle, and while there was no entry fee, the state of law and order was the worst of all the districts outside the castle walls. They'd fallen out of reach of the government's supervision and become a lawless area left to its own

devices as a result. One never entered the slums willingly, unless you had no choice but to live there.Rio left the slums and headed for a nearby district with a well, then quickly washed himself and his clothes. Since it was still early, there were barely any people walking on the streets. Thanks to that, he was able to use the well in peace. Of course, there was no proper soap or warm water that could be used, but he did the best he could.After thoroughly washing himself, Rio stopped by a street stall on his way back and filled his stomach with some cheap, hard bread and sludge-like broth. Then he made his way back to

the entrance of the slums. He found a sunny spot and sat down,

staring at the ground as he waited for his clothes to dry.It was early spring, but it was still too cold to be outside half￾naked, and he was still recovering from his sickness. Fortunately, Rio was used to life in the slums, so it wasn't unbearable. At this early hour, the red-light district neighboring the slums was gradually emptying out. Both the women that sold their services and the men that bought them were making their way home. Barely any of them headed home towards the slums, though. The only ones that did were ruffians that had struck it rich for the night. Rio had no particular interest in them, so he sat and thought about what to do next. In all honesty, he didn't think he could live with the men in the shack for much longer — sooner or later, he'd be run into the ground if he did.That being said, the world just wasn't kind enough to let an orphan live on his own without any plans. The only chance an orphan had of survival in the slums was by scavenging for leftovers, stealing from others, or being used by violent gangs, like Rio was. There were no other options.Stealing is out of the question. I'd prefer some kind of job, if possible...He knew his chances were bleak. It wouldn't be easy to find someone willing to hire someone like him in this dismal society. Orphans from the slums were already considered to be at a high risk of committing theft in marketplaces and such, making people all the more wary of them. Not to mention, if it were that easy to find a job, orphans wouldn't exist. Even if they did manage to find one, they'd be exploited and underpaid. Since that was the case, Rio wondered if

he had any useful talents he could use to his advantage. The only special skills he had were the ones he obtained in his previous life: a university-level education, the ability to do housework and other life skills obtained from living alone, as well as a myriad of other know￾hows from his family home and part-time job. He searched his head for a way to apply these skills in a useful manner, but it was nearly impossible without the right social

connections.This meant that the only options left were the less-than-legal methods, but Rio — no, Amakawa Haruto inside of Rio — was extremely reluctant about turning to crime, which was a weakness that Rio himself had long since thrown away. Really, there was no point in avoiding criminal activities anyway, considering how often Rio had been forced to act as an accomplice for the men that used him. The realization of how dirty his hands were rose within him, overwhelming him with guilt. It was too late for him. The corner of Rio's mouth quirked up in a self-deprecating smirk as he stared at his palms with a furrowed brow.At that moment—"Hey, you there. Little... girl?" a stern, womanly voice said to Rio.He raised his head to see four people of various ages standing before him. They all wore nice, clean robes that hid their faces and covered their bodies, so Rio couldn't tell their genders from their appearance. Looking at their heights, the one who addressed Rio was probably the oldest in the group. Judging by how young the person sounded, they were most likely in their late teens. Behind the one who spoke was a figure who looked to be the size of an early teen and two child-sized figures — they were probably around Rio's age.Apparently, the one who spoke to Rio was unsure of his gender, too. His face had always been rather androgynous, and his hair had grown long and scruffy, making it easy to mistake him for a girl."Stinks..." one of the small children mutteredunder their breath in

disgust.The voice sounded feminine, like a little girl. It was a melodic and cute sound, which ran contrary to the blunt and scathing words."It would be best to avoid breathing in too much. It might be bad for your health," the other small child said.

This one also sounded like a little girl.

They sure are saying whatever they please...

Rio frowned, slightly upset at their words. He was aware of the fact that his current state wasn't ideal, but he had just washed himself...Rio turned to look at the two little girls. Their faces were covered by hoods, but he could feel them looking down on him anyway. Meanwhile, the small figure next to them was also watching Rio observantly. He couldn't feel any negative emotions behind this gaze, though."Hey, are you listening to me?" the eldest woman asked in a serious tone. "Don't tell me you can't even understand what I'm saying."She seemed to be in a hurry for some reason as she threateningly pressed for a reply."I hear you. What do you want?" Rio replied coldly.He observed the four of them cautiously — their clothes were too clean for them to be residents of the slums. He could see an expensive-looking hilt peeking out from between the robes of the eldest woman. What could they possibly want from an orphan of the slums? They didn't seem like the types that would want to hire thieves, but Rio raised his guard anyway."Have you seen a little girl with lavender hair She's around your age," the woman

explained.There was an air of superiority behind her words, as though she was looking down on someone that she expected would obey her orders.

So they were looking for someone.Rio wasn't particularly bothered by her attitude, but he didn't feel obliged to answer her politely, either. And in any case, he didn't have any clue where this girl could be. He stood up with a sigh and shot them one more glance before briskly walkingaway."Hey, wait. Answer the question," the woman called back to Rio, clicking her tongue in annoyance."No clue. Sorry," Rio said, pausing mid-step and tossing his answer over his shoulder.

"Answer her properly."

"Hiding the truth won't benefit you."

The two little girls pressed Rio imperiously, seemingly doubting Rio's statement. He huffed.

"Like I said—"

"I don't think he'll answer if we speak to him like that, everyone."

Just as Rio was about to restate his point, the small figure who had been silent until now interrupted him. It sounded like the slightly tired

voice of yet another girl.

"Hm... Celia."

The eldest woman looked at the girl she had called Celia.

"Please leave this to me, Miss Vanessa."

"Good idea," the woman addressed as Vanessa said, hesitating for a brief moment before passing the baton to Celia. "A teaching professor like you could probably handle this situation best."

Celia then took a step forward.

"Hello there. Sorry if we surprised you before. Will you tell me your name?" she asked kindly. "Oh, and I'm Celia."

"...Rio," he muttered in response.