North Alley Night Watch
KATZU
He takes the night shift personally.
Standing Orders
He guards the alley where every delivery arrives exactly once.
Night Instructions
When the shutters close, KATZU takes the north alley and listens for bowls touching concrete. He accepts no appointment, carries no spare scabbard, and never checks the weather. The headband stays tied through sleet. Shopkeepers leave one porch lamp burning and stack fish crates square. By dawn, every doorway is counted, every latch is tested, and the milkman has learned to knock softly before entering.
Patrol Order
- Ticker
KATZU
- Shift
From the last train until the first kettle starts shouting.
- Post
North alley, three shuttered shops, one unreliable drainpipe.
- Rule
One warning for noise; none for touching the sealed fish crates.
- Kit
Cloth headband, winter coat, katana, and exact change for milk.
- Report
Every doorway counted before sunrise, including the one behind the bins.
Working Habits
Quiet Entry
Waits until loose hinges finish complaining, then crosses without a sound.
Cold Paws
Treats sleet as ordinary weather and frozen steps as useful witnesses.
Straight Blade
Drawn only when the bins begin negotiations after midnight.
Fish Discipline
Counts every sealed crate twice and samples absolutely none of it.
Doorway Memory
Remembers each latch, lamp, footprint, and suspicious saucer by address.
Dawn Exit
Leaves before kettles boil, with the alley quieter than he found it.
KATZU keeps the last watch.