Chapter 47: A Fake!
Kenji stormed through the bustling streets of the town’s market, his frustration evident in every sharp step he took. The broken sword dangled from his hand, the shattered blade glinting faintly in the sunlight. His dark mood seemed to ripple outward, causing vendors and passersby to glance at him with a mixture of curiosity and unease.
"Master, I *told* you not to buy it. That store looked incredibly shady, but do you ever listen to me? No, you don’t!" Haruka said in her human form, matching his pace. Her fox-like ears twitched in irritation, arching downwards in a way that mirrored her annoyed tone.
Kenji groaned but said nothing, his attention fixed ahead.
"Haruka’s right," Shreya chimed in, appearing from Kenji’s mindscape with a flourish of fiery feathers. "Kenji, why do you never listen to the wisdom of women? We have instincts for these kinds of things. And now you’ve gone and splurged most of your money on a piece of scrap metal junk!"
Behind them, the children followed closely, their faces alight with amusement despite Kenji’s sour mood.
"Daddy’s new sword was so cool until it went *plink* and broke!" Leia exclaimed, laughing loudly at the memory of the dramatic mishap.
"I know, right?" Pheia chimed in, giggling uncontrollably. "One swing and *plink*, then boom—shatter!"
"I bet I could make a better one with two sticks and glue," Leo declared confidently, crossing his arms like an expert craftsman.
Kenji grit his teeth, his grip tightening around the sword’s hilt as he tried to ignore the cacophony of playful mockery behind him. Their laughter only made his mood darker, and he sighed deeply. *This isn’t how I imagined my weapon shopping going.*
---
### **[Two Hours Earlier]**