Chapter 46: Feather, Sacrifice, and Pizza
Haruka stared at the phoenix hovering above Kenji’s shoulder, her jaw slowly dropping as she processed what she was seeing. Shreya flared her crimson wings dramatically, her fiery eyes sparkling with pride, as if daring anyone to challenge her magnificence.
"You mean to tell me..." Haruka began, her voice trembling with a dangerous edge, "that you’ve had a phoenix—A PHOENIX—by your side this entire time and didn’t think to mention it?!"
Kenji winced and raised a hand defensively. "Uh, well, technically, she wasn’t visible most of the time, and, you know, I had a lot on my plate—"
"’Had a lot on your plate’?!" Haruka shrieked, pacing in wild circles as her elegant demeanor slipped into pure indignation. "Master, this is not some trivial detail you ’forget’ to mention! A PHOENIX is—ugh!" She threw her paws in the air, mumbling incomprehensibly while occasionally shooting glares at Kenji.
Shreya, perched smugly on Kenji’s shoulder, tilted her head. "Shreya thinks Haruka is overreacting. Clearly, Kenji has more important things to focus on than my brilliance—though it *is* unfortunate that my magnificence wasn’t celebrated sooner." She preened her fiery feathers for emphasis.
Before Haruka could respond, the children burst into laughter, their eyes gleaming with mischief. "Catch the phoenix!" Leia cried, and the three of them immediately lunged toward Shreya, their arms flailing as they tried to grab her.
Shreya squawked indignantly and flapped into the air, narrowly avoiding Leo’s outstretched hands. "What are you doing?! This is harassment! Shreya is not a plaything!"
"Fly faster!" Pheia shouted, giggling as she scrambled after the phoenix.
Kenji watched the chaos unfold with a mixture of amusement and exhaustion. "Kids, maybe don’t torment the magical flame bird?" he suggested weakly, though he made no move to stop them.
Haruka huffed, crossing her arms. "Serves her right."
Eventually, after much giggling and near collisions, the children gave up the chase, collapsing into a heap on the grass. Shreya returned to Kenji’s shoulder, ruffled and muttering complaints about "undignified treatment," while Haruka finally stopped pacing and muttering long enough to regain her composure.