The Night Watch

Upon checking the point of entry, they found a window near the back door had been broken and the latch undone.

That was the noise Kaimol had heard.

The window wasn't very large.

Even Elza, let alone Yohane, would have trouble squeezing through.

Her hips would get stuck.

A child, however, could pass through without issue.

… The thieves had children among them.

He'd need to arrange for the window to be repaired.

Until then, taping it up was the best he could do.

He unlocked the warehouse and checked inside.

Nothing had been disturbed.

A full inventory count confirmed nothing was missing. It seemed the rush to bolster security had paid off.

Yohane breathed a sigh of relief.

He locked it back up and gathered Azu and the others in his room.

He sat down in a chair and leaned back.

The wood creaked, filling the room with sound. He was tired enough to feel it.

"Nothing was taken this time, but I didn't think they'd go as far as breaking in."

"I'm sorry. If I'd caught them beforehand…"

"Don't worry about it. You did everything you could and still couldn't find them."

Azu had apologized, so he made sure to reassure her.

She really had put in the work, investigated properly, and reported every suspicious person she'd found.

Squeezing money out of Logos's crew was all thanks to their efforts.

"They probably waited a few days for us to let our guard down. But I'll be damned if I let them steal from me again."

"Wouldn't the guards investigate if it's a second offense?"

"No, the only damage is one broken window. No evidence either, so they wouldn't be able to do much."

"Then we really do have to catch them ourselves."

"Right. They got nothing this time, so either they give up or they come back."

Yohane straightened his back and thought it through.

He tried to imagine the thieves' thinking, what they'd do next.

"If they were the type to give up, they wouldn't have come back in the first place. They checked the lock, so next time they'll come to crack it. That's when we strike."

"Understood. I'll catch them for sure."

"Yeah. I'm counting on you."

"Yes!"

Between the Logos business and this, they were all tired, so they called it a day.

However, starting tonight, one person would keep watch through the night.

The lookout post would be in front of the warehouse.

They'd wait in a spot hidden from the broken window's line of sight and simply watch.

It was a job that demanded patience, and Azu was the first to volunteer.

She was clearly still bothered by not having produced results, and with the determination of "this time for sure," Yohane approved her request.

If the thieves were going to come, it would be before the window was fixed. Today or tomorrow. Soon, at any rate.

The shop closed and the employees went home.

Azu took a short nap and woke up when Yohane and the others went to bed, then grabbed a blanket and moved into position.

She sat in the shadow of the staircase with the blanket pulled over her, staring into the pitch-dark hallway where no light reached.

Beside her was a care package Yohane had prepared before going to sleep: warm soup and dried fruit.

Winter was closing in, and sitting still at night meant the cold seeped right in.

Back at the ocean, even the nights had been hot, but now it was cold at all hours except midday.

She wore mittens and warm socks on her hands and feet so she could move at a moment's notice.

They were fluffy, cute designs that Yohane had prepared for Azu and the others in anticipation of winter.

She'd been very happy about them, but she really wished they hadn't been given to her under these circumstances.

It only made her angrier at the thieves.

The tart dried citrus fruit was generously dusted with sugar, making it sweet.

This was Yohane's way of being considerate about the night watch.

They were something of a luxury for a snack.

She ate them slowly, savoring each piece. She licked the sugar from her fingers and washed it down with the soup.

Warmth spread through her body, and her white breath dissolved into the air.

She pulled the blanket back over her head, leaving just enough of an opening to see, and curled up.

Everyone but Azu was asleep, and the silence was absolute.

She kept at it for a while, but nothing happened.

Just as she began to think tonight would pass without incident, she heard faint footsteps.

Coming from the backyard. The path leading to the broken window near the warehouse.

She'd only noticed because everything around her had been so still.

Under normal circumstances, Azu would never have heard it.

Azu had been sitting with her knees pulled up for warmth, but she shifted her right knee upward into a ready stance.

The footsteps belonged to more than one person.

She could also hear what sounded like hushed whispers, though she couldn't make out the words.

Her hand found her scabbard.

She considered waking the others but decided it was too soon.

More importantly, if they slipped away while she was rousing everyone, that would be worse.

She wanted to remove this thorn from Yohane's side, no matter what.

She wanted to be more useful. To be seen as useful.

There was no ceiling to that desire. It was what kept her motivated.

The whispers went silent.

Azu braced herself.

The tape patching the window was slowly peeled away.

Azu shed the blanket. Thanks to the winter gear, she made no sound even when she moved.

All the tape was removed, and a hand reached through the opening.

Azu's eyes, adjusted to the dark, saw it clearly. Just as Yohane had predicted, it was a child's hand.

The window opened, and she could see three figures climbing inside.

They made a beeline for the warehouse and placed their hands on the lock attached to the door.

Azu waited until that moment, then broke into a sprint.

She reached the front of the warehouse in an instant and swept their legs out with her scabbard.

She caught two of them, sending them tumbling.

The one she'd missed scrambled back toward the window, so she reached out with her free left hand toward the back of their neck.

Her fingers barely hooked onto their clothing, and she yanked hard.

The momentum slammed them into the wall with a loud crash.

"Ow, what the hell?!"

"I thought this was supposed to be a safe job!"

The two on the ground groaned in pain at Azu's feet, cursing even so.

A light came on. Everyone was awake.

The intruders were exposed.

They were children. They didn't look much older than Azu.

The one who'd hit the wall had struck their leg hard and wouldn't be moving anytime soon.