The three of them started doing it in the church room. It surprised me. Three of them!? It was too much for me to watch. They didn't look like lovers at all. What the hell were they doing!

  While the woman was servicing them, the two men were talking. Maybe she was a prostitute. I've seen prostitutes on the street. But this woman felt different. Something felt off.

  I strained my ears. "...that homeless kid... serial killings... definitely the culprit..."

  They were talking about Old Man Kumi. The priest told the skinny man that the culprit who killed the homeless old man was the kid living in the alley nearby. If I heard him right... I felt like I was going crazy. Why is the priest calling me the killer!?

  Anger at how unfair this was filled my whole body. My toes and the muscles in my neck cramped up.

  [A room inside the church]

  "And?" the skinny man urged the priest to continue. "Nothing. It's just that he... no, there was an eyewitness report." "Hmm. A serial murder case targeting citizens and the homeless. Are you saying that homeless kid did all of it?" "No, no, I don't think he did all of it. And this is just what the eyewitness said, right?" "An eyewitness, huh..." "At least regarding that old man's death."

  The skinny man's smile turned into a smirk as he asked questions. The priest answered, sounding indifferent but slightly irritated.

  "Hey, are you guys okay? I'm worried. There are so many terrible incidents lately..." The woman interrupted them. "Ah, it's fine. Totally fine! Not a single thing to worry about. You don't need to worry at all," the smirking man said with a chuckle.

  After that, they finished quickly, grabbed their things, and left the church. The smirking man was the first to leave the room, but before he did:

  "Well then, we'll put out a wanted poster for that kid just in case. From our side, you know." "Are you sure about the type of warrant?" "Yes, yes. 'Dead or Alive', of course."

  That was their conversation.

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  Early next morning. 4:45 AM. PHONY

  I couldn't hear everything they said in the church. I saw things I shouldn't have seen. Peeking into the secrets of adults made me excited, but also uncomfortable. I didn't know what their relationship was or what exactly they were talking about.

  But one thing I knew for sure: I couldn't trust that priest. I had a bad feeling.

  Me, the killer? Are you kidding me!? Where did that rumor come from? It was too fast. It had to be that guy from the jewelry store. Maybe he was connected to the priest.

  After witnessing their secret meeting, I slept in the treasure hiding spot—the "Gutter Hole"—in the park right next to the church. I woke up before sunrise. I checked my appearance in the hand mirror. A young man with short hair looked back at me. But my clothes were a problem. My pants were tattered jersey material. I had to do something about this first.

  I headed to a supermarket I knew. It was in one of the safer areas in No Hope. In the corner of the parking lot, there was a steel recycling bin for collecting old clothes. Not that anyone threw away truly good stuff here, and even if they did, the people checking inside would steal it anyway. It was padlocked. You couldn't just open it and take clothes freely.

  The collected clothes were supposedly delivered to people in need somewhere we couldn't see. In the Dark District, people in need right in front of you are ignored. Old Man Kumi used to say that if you're struggling where people can see you, they think it's your own fault.

  I entered the parking lot and checked the steel box. (I hope there are some clothes that fit.) There was a sturdy padlock on it. I had to get past it to get the clothes inside. I usually don't steal. But I had no choice now. My life was on the line. I couldn't care about the small stuff.

  I pushed the part where you throw clothes in. If you put clothes in and let go, it rotates with a clank and drops the stuff inside. I pushed it while empty. I sent an image to The Invisible Hand. The ghost hand phased through the steel box, grabbed some clothes inside, and placed them on that rotating part. When I let go, there was a handful of clothes in the opening.

  Yes! It worked! I couldn't see inside the box, so I had to do it over and over until I got something I liked! It felt like cheating, pulling a lottery ticket as many times as I wanted. It made me giddy and excited. Right after, I realized I had to care about the size before worrying if I liked it...

  Still, I felt great. I rarely had this much fun in my life, and I was almost never this lucky. In the end, I played this old-clothes roulette over and over until dawn. I got not just the pants I was looking for, but a sweater I really liked too.

  I wanted to leave and change right away! Right, I could even go to a laundromat! I had plenty of cash! I was so excited.

  A denim jacket over a sweater. A knit cap. Navy blue pants and sneakers. I went to a spot with a mirrored window to look at myself. I was very satisfied. "Is this me? I look like a totally different person!"