Himeko maintained a slightly confused smile as Hanako apologised desperately for the minor blunder. The poor girl was knocked to the ground, yet now she was bowing and acting like she'd stepped on the toes of someone actually important. Sure, a lot of older folk may have spoken to her with a hint of reverence, but surely even they knew she was no more than a normal young woman!
Naturally, Himeko wanted to tease this cute girl a little, but it seemed a little too cruel for the moment. Before she could reassure the smaller girl, Nico seemed to recognise her. Come to think of it, the girl [i]did[/i] seem familiar. Given her iunuque sense of dress, the shrine maiden felt a little silly for not clicking earlier, but at least Nico was kind enough to provide a new opportunity.

Putting on her brightest smile, Himeko confidently declared, "yes, actually. Hanako-chan here is actually my estranged sister, who chose to wander the country in search of enlightenment!"
Himeko had never caught Hanako's surname, so the extra little coincidence was lost on her, but that didn't stop the bespectacled lady throwing an arm around the smaller girl's shoulders, pretending to dab at her eyes, beneath the rims of her glasses, "we haven't seen each other in so long... oh, how I missed her~"

[@Ammokkx][@Raineh Daze]