Chapter 833

At the same time, a few lines of translucent text quietly appeared on the blade:

【Water-Chanting Kitchen Knife】

【Quality: Blue】

【Effect: Every fifteen seconds, it can release an intangible slash that moves according to one's will.】

【Description: One slash, two pieces—this is the bond between me and my kitchen knife!!】

Natsume Chikage's heart gave a violent jolt!

Surprise surged into his heart in an instant.

He had never expected that in this seemingly ordinary old kitchenware repair shop, a piece of "special equipment" would be hidden!

Moreover, judging by the quality and description, this appeared to be a piece of equipment with an active attack effect, completely different from all the equipment he had obtained previously.

It was truly the only attack-type one!

He quickly suppressed the excitement in his heart, forcing himself to calm down.

The most urgent priority was to handle the repair of the "soup spoon."

He reined in his gaze and walked calmly toward the reception counter on one side of the shop.

Behind the counter, a gentle-mannered beautiful lady was organizing receipts.

Natsume Chikage stepped forward, placed the small cloth bag containing the broken spoon on the counter, and spoke politely:

"Hello, sorry to bother you."

"I heard that your shop can repair kitchenware. May I ask, is there a way to repair a soup spoon like this...?"

The female clerk looked up at the sound.

When she saw Natsume Chikage's appearance, she was clearly stunned for a moment, then a friendly and slightly shy smile appeared on her face, and she subconsciously raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Hello."

She glanced at the broken iron handle peeking out of the cloth bag, nodded, and her voice was soft:

"Ye... yes, we can. We accept all kinds of kitchenware repairs here."

Natsume Chikage then asked:

"Then, about how much would it cost to repair an item like this?"

The female clerk, Ando Masako, smiled apologetically and explained softly:

"This... the specific repair plan and cost can only be determined after the master in charge of repairs has seen the actual item."

"I will go ask my father to come over and take a look for you; please wait a moment."

Natsume Chikage nodded slightly:

"Alright, thank you for the trouble."

Ando Masako turned and walked toward the room at the back of the shop, which hung a curtain reading "Workshop Restricted Area, No Unauthorized Entry."

Before long, the curtain was lifted by a hand covered in calluses and faint scars.

An old man of about fifty, with hair half-black and half-white, a lean build, but eyes that were exceptionally bright and spirited, walked out.

He was wearing a dark blue work garment, his sleeves rolled up, and he carried the scent of rust on him.

Ando Masako introduced him:

"This is Master Ando Toshio, my father. This shop is already in its third generation with him."

Ando Toshio's gaze was as sharp as a hawk's, landing directly on Natsume Chikage before sweeping toward the cloth bag on the counter.

Without any pleasantries, he asked directly in a voice with a heavy Kanto accent:

"So you're the one who wants to fix a spoon?"

"Bring it here and let me see."

His tone was direct, even somewhat blunt.

Natsume Chikage followed instructions, took out the two halves of the broken spoon, and handed them over.

Ando Toshio took the broken spoon, his withered yet steady fingers finely tracing the texture of the break and the metal trim.

His brows gradually furrowed, his eyes becoming exceptionally focused.

After a long while, he suddenly looked up, staring intensely at Natsume Chikage, and questioned:

"This spoon... it's been used for many years, hasn't it?"

"The iron handle has been polished to a patina, and there are signs of wear from long-term use."

"Since it's already broken, why not just buy a new one?"

"Coming here for repairs is both troublesome and the cost won't be much cheaper than buying a new one."

His question went straight to the core, carrying the persistence and scrutiny unique to a craftsman.

Natsume Chikage had anticipated this; after a moment of thought, he explained using the excuse he had already prepared:

"Your eye is very sharp. This spoon has indeed been used for a long time, probably twenty or thirty years."

"It originally belonged to an old master who ran an oden stall."

"He used this spoon to simmer the broth and scoop out ingredients, and it accompanied him through almost his entire career."

"Later, due to an accident, the spoon was broken. The old master felt regretful, but feeling it had a connection with me, he gave it to me."

Natsume Chikage's tone became sincere.

"Personally... I quite like collecting these old objects that carry time and stories."

"I always feel that throwing it away or replacing it directly would be a disservice to the years and warmth it has experienced."

"That's why I wanted to see if it's possible to repair it as it was, even if it's just to preserve that feeling as much as possible."

Ando Toshio listened to his narrative; the serious expression on his face did not change, but his furrowed brows seemed to loosen slightly.

He lowered his head again, brought the broken spoon head close to his nose, closed his eyes, and sniffed deeply.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, a faint, imperceptible glimmer flashing through them.

It seemed... he had truly caught a trace of an extremely faint, mellow, and complex aroma belonging to day-after-day oden broth.

It was a "flavor" that could only be soaked in through countless ingredients and a long passage of time.

Ando Toshio gave a light snort through his nose; the expression on his face remained unchanged, but his tone was already different.

"It can be repaired."

He was concise, carrying an unquestionable certainty.

"The break is quite clean, so the structure can be restored, and we will try our best to keep the original appearance."

"The repair cost is three thousand yen."

He paused and added.

"Come pick it up the day after tomorrow afternoon."

Having said that, he said no more, picked up the two halves of the spoon, turned, and walked back into the workshop, letting the heavy curtain fall.

His movements were crisp and decisive, not even giving Natsume Chikage a chance to ask for details.

The female clerk, Ando Masako, was long accustomed to her father's style; she smiled helplessly at Natsume Chikage and explained:

"My father has this kind of personality; he doesn't talk much, but his craftsmanship is absolutely reliable."

"Since he agreed to repair it and gave a pickup time, he will definitely fix it, so please rest assured."

"Then, as is customary, could you please pay a deposit of one thousand yen first?"

Natsume Chikage nodded readily:

"Of course, no problem."

Three thousand yen was enough to buy several quite decent new soup spoons on the market.

But for Natsume Chikage, only the soup spoon in his hand, which contained a "special effect," was irreplaceable.

As long as it could be successfully repaired, and even restored to the complete state of the "Oden Immortal's Tang Shao," he would be willing to pay even more.

Of course, that was assuming it could really be successfully repaired...

After paying the deposit, Natsume Chikage's thoughts returned to the "Water-Chanting Kitchen Knife" hanging high on the knife rack.

He weighed his words, pointed to the knife, and asked Ando Masako as if casually:

"Ando-san, may I ask... is that kitchen knife on display not for sale? Or..."

Ando Masako looked in the direction he was pointing, a look of surprise and slight shyness appearing on her face.

"Oh my, Natsume-kun, you can just call me sister; you're being too polite."

She covered her mouth and chuckled, clearly quite pleased with the address of "sister."

Then, she explained:

"That knife... it's not exactly 'not for sale'." ===== CHAPTER 834 =====