Chapter 215: Stupid Kitten

"Seems like you need a new daddy, kid?"

Kaisen couldn't help but grin as he eavesdropped on the sibling duo's heated exchange. This was the perfect setup—Rony would undoubtedly try to jump him, and Kaisen was more than ready to teach the little kitten a lesson.

Rony spotted Kaisen and smirked, his tail flicking with excitement.

"I've been looking for you. Now, let's have some fun!" he shouted, launching himself at Kaisen like a missile with claws.

Kaisen, cool as a cucumber, simply slipped his hands into his pockets and sidestepped, letting the overexcited furball land awkwardly on all fours, his claws scraping the rock like nails on a chalkboard.

"You're gonna have to do better than that, kid," Kaisen said with a lazy, mocking smile.

Rony growled, baring his teeth.

"You think you can take me on? I'll make you pay for that insult, you filthy human!"

He sprang to his feet and dashed toward Kaisen, who didn't even flinch. Rony was sure his speed had caught the human off guard.

"Gotcha!"

He hissed, aiming his claws straight at Kaisen's annoyingly handsome face. But just as his claws were about to make contact, Kaisen took a casual step back, barely even moving his head.

Rony's claws slashed nothing but air, hitting the ground with a humiliating scrunch.

"Aarghh!"

Rony yelped in pain, quickly jumping back, cradling his hand like he'd just touched a hot stove. He shot a wary glance at Kaisen, suddenly realizing that this white-haired stranger wasn't the pushover he thought.

"Who are you, old man?"

Rony asked, trying to sound tough but failing miserably.

"O-old? Who are you calling old, you stupid cat?!"

Kaisen's smirk vanished, replaced by an expression that looked like someone had just insulted his favorite video game character. He was only 19, for crying out loud! How dare this little furball call him old?

"Uh... obviously you..."

Rony replied, genuinely puzzled. He couldn't understand why this old man was so bent out of shape when, clearly, he was ancient.

Kaisen took a sharp breath, trying to keep his cool. This kid was seriously getting under his skin.

Then again, considering the boy barely looked 7 or 8, Kaisen figured the kid hadn't seen enough humans to know what was what.

"Yeah, I've seen silver hair before."

"See? So why did you say silver hair is for old—"

"On old people, of course."

Rony interrupted, his tone matter-of-fact, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Kaisen stared at the boy, a mixture of disbelief and exasperation washing over him. This was like arguing with a brick wall—if that brick wall had a tail and an attitude problem.

"Kid, when I say I'm nineteen, I mean it. This silver hair is a sign of... uh, distinguished youth!"

Rony just shrugged, clearly unimpressed.

"Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night, old man."

"..."

"..."

[...]

A vein on Kaisen's forehead throbbed like it was auditioning for a spot in a stress-relief commercial. He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, trying to suppress the urge to punt this kid into the next kingdom.

It was becoming increasingly clear that engaging with this brat was about as productive as trying to teach a rock how to swim.

"Alright, 'kid.' Let's move on to bigger matters. I wanna know what's happening here—your tribe, this kingdom, or just generally... what the hell is going on?"

Rony looked at him with the same level of concern one might show for a fly buzzing too close to their food.

"Oh, you're just like my sister. She acts like an old woman, always asking useless questions and reading stupid stuff. I guess your interest in all this pointless nonsense just proves you really are an old man."

Kaisen felt his eye twitch. His age—or rather, the perception of it—was not up for debate anymore.

"Alright, kitty. I don't have time for this bullshit. Tell me what I want to know, or I'll beat the information outta you. Your choice, brat."

Rony's glare hardened, but then a sly smile crept onto his face, mirroring the one Kaisen usually reserved for when he was about to pull off something particularly devious. The kid's tail began to twitch with an unsettling enthusiasm, and Kaisen immediately knew this wasn't going to end well.

The little furball looked like he was about to try something sneaky, and Kaisen wasn't in the mood to play games.