Certainly he broke the law (or, to his mind, exploited a loophole), though of course you then have the problem that he's not the sort to take advantage of Muggles and that socially, a lot of the things that could have helped keep him from sinking into poverty (i.e. duplicating all of his outfits, or textbooks, or other items) are probably held to be in bad taste. After all, a true wizard would be able to afford to pay for things, to support his family with something real, not waving a wand around. That, and its quite possible there are anti-duplication spells for books (MRM - magical rights management).
Well, if you're certain then. At least its less spiky than a hill of swords.You cannot convince me, alf. This is a hill I am willing to die upon.
Choice 284: [X] Pick a few leaves from the Niffler's Fancy and try to gather Wiggentree bark, which is quite useful for healing potions (More time needed, which could be a problem if the roar was heard - or the loss of the constructs felt)
Time was of the essence, Matou Shinji knew. Yes, he'd defeated the creatures that had emerged from the shelter to attack him, leaving the clearing free of enemies, yet who knew how long that state of affairs would last? He'd never dealt with a defense that spawned transfigured beasts before - hadn't known such a thing was possible.
But then, it did no good to underestimate his opponents, and who knew - perhaps that was only phase one of the trap. Perhaps there was something else they'd rigged up, leaving the Niffler's Fancy and Wiggentrees as the bait for something even deadlier than those constructs had been.
'Even so, I've come all this way. It would be folly to just leave with rare ingredients like this in sight...'
Especially since Ka'aukai had still be unconscious when he'd left. Surely getting the ingredients to make the Wiggenweld Potion - something to heal and wake his injured colleague - would be a good thing, right?
Thus resolved, Shinji plucked a few leaves from the Niffler's Fancy, feeling almost as if something was watching him as he did so, though nothing attacked - and Zelkova reported no abnormal movements from within the shelter.
'Maybe its not a trap?'
It could be that the Niffler's Fancy had just been left here because neither of the Champions in the shelter knew what to do with it.
'Their loss, then. Onto the Wiggentree bark.'
Once he obtained that, he could leave, though where he would go he didn't quite know yet.
'First things first though. Let's get the bark before I make plans beyond harvesting.'
With Zelkova guiding him, he made his way towards a somewhat remote specimen, borrowing his familiar's senses to see if there were any--
'Aha. Bowtruckles.'
Yes. There were two of the hand-sized, insect-eating tree dweller on the trunk, looking almost like a piece of bark - a sign that the tree they were perched on was of particularly high quality (and its ingredients of great magical potency).
If he approached, they would attack - either tossing bark at him, which he wouldn't mind, or jumping at his face and trying to claw out his eyes, an outcome he would rather avoid.
Choice 285: What does Matou Shinji do?
[ ] Have Zelkova collect some bark while invisible - they won't notice a spirit
[ ] Use ofuda to bind them, while he harvests the bark - if someone is watching, they probably aren't expecting eastern arts
[ ] Try to commune with the bowtruckles - he has Zelkova for a familiar, so it shouldn't be too hard, right?
[ ] Draw his wand and use the Confoundus Charm on them - the Hogwarts approved way of dealing with bowtruckles
[ ] Leave the area - No need to take unnecessary risks