Yonaka

The real commerce in Waterfall City isn't conducted with coin, but with secrets that flow faster than the river itself. Yonaka, a whisper in the form of a Mystic Cat, knows the true currents of the city. While others climb the main rock stairs, they prefer the hidden routes: the tunnels behind tapestries and the handholds carved beneath bridges, passages first mapped by the lucky paws of Maneki-neko. From a sun-warmed perch high above the main plaza, they watch a specific merchant haggle over fish prices. Yonaka doesn't listen to the words, but to the silence between them. After a moment, they drop a single, polished river pearl into the merchant's unattended water pail below. A debt paid, a favor called in, or a warning given—only Yonaka and the recipient would ever know.