Kōen promptly began ignoring the two, keeping quietly to herself as she continued down the road with Kyō and the kid in tow. Speaking of which, she suddenly realized that their new apprentice never introduced himself. She spoke up without bothering to stop or look over her shoulder. "So, what should we call you?" she inquired aloud, addressing her question to Hikaru.

[hr]
Kyō strolled alongside Hikaru, his gaze constantly changing from the boy to the road ahead as he attempted to evenly distribute his attention between listening and walking. This was good. Besides the fact that it meant one less task on their checklist of things-to-do, it also meant that if for some reason the group ever got separated he wouldn't have to worry about Hikaru succumbing to the elements or starving to death. Kyō was about to open his mouth to ask about Hikaru's hometown when his sister interrupted. He suddenly realized how right she was.