Boom!
The middle-aged man slammed the door shut with such force that the entire frame shook.
On the ground, various items lay scattered in disarray.
A young boy knelt down silently, picking up the mess. A little girl crouched beside him, helping as best as she could. Meanwhile, a smaller boy sat on the floor, tears streaming down his cheeks, while another muttered curses under his breath, glaring at the closed door.
Kaizen narrowed his eyes.
Something about the scene felt... off. When the middle-aged man had shoved the little girl aside, Kaizen had noticed something strange about her older brother. It was fleeting, almost imperceptible, but Kaizen's sharp eyes didn't miss it.
The boy's arm had momentarily changed—its shape contorting in a way that no ordinary human could achieve.
"They're not using nen," Kaizen muttered under his breath. "At least not in the conventional sense. But..."
His thoughts raced.
"On the surface, they seem like ordinary people. However, when the boy's arm shifted, I felt something—like a faint surge in my observer's absorption progress. It was subtle, almost negligible, but it happened."
Kaizen's gaze lingered on the boy. "There's a high chance this kid is connected to those alienated monsters."
The teenager gathered his siblings, leading them out of the yard. They walked quietly, heading towards the outskirts of the slum.
This part of the slums was even more destitute than most—a desolate area where the makeshift shelters were nothing more than worn tents propped up by broken sticks and scraps of fabric. As the boy and his siblings passed, they attracted unwanted attention.
Kaizen noticed several malicious glances cast their way.
The boy, however, met those gazes head-on, his fierce glare warding off potential threats. Soon, they reached a corner of the slum where their crude tent stood—a flimsy structure of wooden poles and tattered cloth.
Night fell quickly in the slums, and with it came danger.
Figures crept towards the tent under the cover of darkness.
But the boy was ready. Gripping a wooden stick tightly, he charged at the intruders without hesitation.
Thud!
A heavy blow sounded as the boy struck one of them.
"You little brat!" one of the intruders snarled, lashing out.
The commotion roused the entire area. A bald man stepped forward, shoving the boy to the ground and beating him mercilessly.
Kaizen watched from a distance, his expression unreadable. The boy's eyes burned with anger, but he didn't retaliate, simply enduring the blows.
Eventually, neighbors intervened, pulling the bald man away.
Bruised and battered, the boy dragged himself back to the tent.
"Big brother..." his younger sister whispered tearfully.
"I'm fine," he said, forcing a smile. "Go to sleep. I'll be better tomorrow."
...
The next day
Kaizen overheard some gossip from a group of middle-aged women.
"Those four kids were brought here by their mother—no father in sight," one said.
"Yeah, but the mother ran off ages ago. Left them to fend for themselves," another chimed in.
"They were hiding three of the kids at first, pretending only two people lived in the house to cheat the landlord."
"And now they've fallen behind on rent. No wonder the landlord's furious."
Kaizen frowned, filing the information away as he sat near the yard, eating a basin of pancakes he'd prepared himself.
A small figure approached him hesitantly—a little girl with wide, hungry eyes. It was the boy's younger sister. Her gaze was fixed on the pancakes, and Kaizen could hear her stomach growling.
He tore off a small piece and held it out to her.
"Do you want some?"
The girl froze, looking uncertain. She glanced around nervously before pointing at herself.
Kaizen nodded.
Her eyes lit up as she stepped forward eagerly.
"Thank you, big brother!" she said, devouring the piece of pancake in seconds.
"Is it good?"
"It's delicious!" she exclaimed, nodding enthusiastically.
Kaizen smiled. "What's your name?"
"Lilith," she replied.
"Alright, Lilith. Do you want to do some business with me?"
Lilith tilted her head in confusion. "Business?"
Kaizen handed her another piece of pancake and explained. "Take this and let others on the neighboring streets try it. If they like it, bring them here to buy more from me. For every ten pancakes I sell to the people you bring, I'll give you one pancake as payment. Sound good?"
Lilith thought for a moment before nodding excitedly.
"I understand! I'll do it!"
Kaizen watched her scamper off.
It wasn't much—a low-risk, low-reward task—but it was enough to give Lilith a chance without drawing too much attention.
For a girl like Lilith, even one pancake was a lifeline.
An hour later, Lilith returned with her first customer—a young woman.
"How much for one?"
"Seventy Jenny," Kaizen replied.
"I'll take three."
By the evening, Lilith had brought in several more customers, selling a total of thirteen pancakes.
True to his word, Kaizen handed her a pancake as payment and even tore off a third of another as a bonus.
"Here, Lilith. This is your reward."
"Thank you, big brother!" Lilith said, bowing deeply.
"You've earned it," Kaizen replied with a grin. "Now head home. It's getting late."
Lilith tucked the pancakes into her clothes and hurried off.
Dominica approached Kaizen, her sharp eyes following the little girl's retreating figure.
"These people live such harsh lives," she said with a sigh.
"If you can help them, even a little, it's worth it," Kaizen replied casually.
Dominica studied him for a moment. "You're not just being charitable. What's on your mind?"
Kaizen's expression grew serious. "Lilith's older brother—there's something strange about him. When the landlord shoved her yesterday, I noticed his arm change shape."
Dominica's face darkened. "What kind of change?"
Kaizen's eyes gleamed. "The kind that doesn't belong to an ordinary human."
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