It was the end for that bell, anyway. He did not even hit it as hard as he could have, or else he would have sent himself flying to the air. If he ever needed a reason not to play these sorts of games again, this would be it. In addition, the man seemed to think that this was good reason not to pressure any more giant monsters into playing.

Francœur would have preferred the bell, even if it was broken. Instead, he got a large toy monkey that was about the same size as Shadow. Despite its size, it looked just right for someone as large as he was. Put a hat and some clothes on the toy and it could vaguely pass for Charles, he presumed. He ran his gloved hand over the white fur and squeezed the soft toy. Though it was only a toy, he gently treated it as if it were a precious treasure.

He held the toy out to Shadow. From the guilty look on his face, he was offering him the toy as a way to express his regret for getting Shadow in trouble and ruining the game for him.